Karyme: The Perfect Love
by Houndude
Summary: Alex is a normal kid. All that changes one day when his pokemon is killed and he meets a Houndoom. Will he find love along the way? R&R please! pokemonxhuman and pokemonxpokemon lemons. Rated M for lots of lemons, fluff, violence, and language
1. Prologue

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Prologue**

**Note: This is only a prologue. You do not have to read it if you do not want to. It will not reveal any actual "story." It only gives background information on my characters and writing style. I do however encourage you to read it because it will make you understand the story a little better.**

**Characters:**

- **Alex** - Protagonist

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 19 years old

Height: 6 foot 2 inches

Weight: 165 lbs

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Green

Summary: Alex is a sharp kid. He is quick-witted, and loves to think on his feet. He uses his mind to conquer challenges rather than his physical strength. He loves to joke around with his friends and play with his pikachu, Jade. You can usually find him hanging out in the forest reading a good book.

- **Karyme** - Protagonist

Species: Houndoom

Gender: Female

Age: 16 years old (That would be in dog years. If it were in people years, she'd probably be dead. lol)

Height: 4 foot 8 inches

Weight: 112 lbs

Eye Color: Brown

Summary: Karyme is independent. She can take care of herself for the most part, except when placed in a truly unusual situation, that she does not know how to handle. She is very gentle, caring, and devoted to anything that she sets her mind to. She loves romantic things and playing around with humans.

- **Malak** - Evil guy, or villain, or whatever you want to call him.

Species: Mightyena

Gender: Male

Age: 15 years old (also in dog years)

Height: 5 foot 11 inches

Weight: 147 lbs

Eye Color: Black

Summary: Malak is the guy who loves to create problems for others. He is extremely selfish and self-centered. He is always dominant over every other pokemon, no matter how big the other pokemon is. If he can, he will make other pokemon fetch food for him or on a rare occasion fight his battles for him. Should he fight someone, he will continue to fight until either one them has died.

Great! So now you know all of the important characters that will appear in the story. Now let me tell you about the style of writng I use and some facts about the story.

- This story will be all 1st person focusing on Alex, occasionally switching to view Karyme's thoughts in some situations. Sometimes I will even switch to another pokemon's point of view if I really want to.

- All pokemon can talk, and all humans can understand them.

- All pokemon have... ummmmm... junk. This of course excludes pokemon that are birds, fish, some small bug type pokemon, or anything without legs.

If you don't get it, just imagine a pokemon with it and if it doesn't look right, then it doesn't have it.

- All pokemon lay eggs, and the pokemon grow quickly once hatched.

- Any words that are _Italicized _are thoughts inside a characters head

- Anything with (parentheses) around it are my thoughts on the story. I like to point out funny things in my story or just stuff that I felt guilty writing without an explanation. You do not have to read it if you do not want to.

- I think fluff will begin around chapter two or three and lemons will begin around chapters four or five...ish

Ok! Thats it then! Oh, I will post this at the end of every chapter: **Please comment on this chapter. Comments and flames accepted. I love getting comments and feedback from my readers. Send suggestions on how I can improve my story or just comment if you liked it. However if you completely depised it, send death threats to me via PM's. Lol**


	2. A Not So Normal Day

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 1:** **A Not So Normal Day**

**Note: **This will be a somewhat violent chapter. Stay with me. The story will get way better later on.

Alex. Thats my name. I'm a normal kid, from a normal town, living a normal life. Or at least today was the last normal day of my life, and then, my new life would begin. But I didn't know that yet, so let's let that be for now.

Well let me tell you a little more about myself. I live in the suburbs of Westfield City. It was the town of Westfield River population of a few thousand (Sorry about the city names. I'm not that good at creating names. Should have seen how long it took me to think of Karyme's name!) We were located on Leynoh Island, which is an island south of the Sinnoh Region. It used to be called Pen Island, named after the famous explorer Robert Pen who found it. It was changed however to Leynoh Island after the kids started putting the two words together forming penisland. The neat thing about this region is that it has different laws. For instance, pokemon on this island cannot be captured. They basically have the same rights as humans do. They may only travel with you if they choose so.

But at least I'm getting away from this place forever. I'm a recent graduate from The Pokemon Trainers School. I also have a pokemon partner. A little furry pokemon known as a Pikachu. She's female and really, really cute. Her name is Jade. Don't let her cuteness fool you though. She is a really tough competitor. She'll unleash anything against you from electric attacks, right down to her bare teeth. Once when I was 14 years old, a strong male Raichu tried to rape her and she bit off his penis. That Raichu became the weakest pokemon in the city since then. She is quite possibly the strongest pokemon in the whole school. She even beat my friends Dragonair that he claimed to have been trained by Lance himself.

Well like I said, I'm outta this place for good. Jade and I are heading north through the dense forest to Westfield City where we will be able to catch a ferry to the Sinnoh region. I am, however, still asleep at the moment...

Beep...Beep...Beep. I slammed my fist down on the snooze button as I slowly turned my head to the left to look at the time. 7:30. _Shit. I turned my head back to look at the ceiling. There's no way! It felt like I had just fallen asleep, when my alarm wakes me up. And here I am at 7:30. Damn. Maybe I shouldn't have went to Xavier's graduation party last night. Oh what a party it was too. But of course I just so happen to be the guy who leaves way to early because I have "priorities." Even if it happened to be 2 o'clock in the morning when I left._

_Oh well I'm not doing myself any favors by sleeping in. I looked over at Jade who was sleeping on a pillow next to me. She looked so cute and peaceful all curled up like that. I loved her soft warm fur and the way her ears were always perked up, even while she was sleeping_. I decided to rouse her after I got dressed.

I swung my legs off of the bed and picked up my usual pair of camo-colored cargo pants I wore. I belted them up with the Pokemon Trainer's Belt I recieved from the Pokemon School as a graduation present. I walked over to my dresser and opened it up, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I was a pretty skinny kid for my age. I liked to keep a well-toned body and lifted my weights when I was bored. I sighed at myself and reached for one of the shirts on the hanger, yanking it off. This was my favorite shirt. It had Death Wish, my favorite band's, logo on it. This was my usual daily attire. I took one last look into the mirror and looked myself over. My hair was just a bit too neat, so I messed it up until I was satisfied.

Finally I picked up my backpack that I spent hours packing last night. It was full of all the basic stuff for beginner trainers. Food, water, a tent, camping supplies, a sleeping bag, pokechow, pokemon medicine, fresh clothes, a first aid kit, and of course, pokeballs.

Now that I was already, I just had to wake up Jade. I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. I reached over and slowly stroked the soft, yellow fur on her back easing her awake gently.

"Jade. It's time to go," I said talking in a near whisper.

She opened her eyes and yawned widely. "Ok, Alex," she said as she jumped lightly into my arms and licked the bottom of my chin, then burrying her soft head in my chest. Carrying her and my backpack, I walked out of my room, down the stairs and into the kitchen. My mother was standing at the stove as I entered, cooking eggs. As soon as she heard me she spun around holding the spatula in her hand.

"Oh there you are Alex, dear. I was just about to come and wake you up."

"Mornin' mom. And please don't call me dear. I'm not four years old anymore."

"Ok, dear," she said as she turned back to face the stove again. I sighed and rolled my eyes in irritation as I sat down at the table.

_I never did tell you about my mom, did I? Well as you can see she is a typical mother. She's somewhere in her mid-forties, yet if I didn't know her, I would have guessed she was thirty. She was about a head shorter than me and she loved to be tidy. Something I lacked. She had short blond hair that she always kept up in a ponytail. Since I had brown hair, I'm guessing I got it from my father. My father left three years ago. He and my mother both used to own a novelty shop. He left when he saw that we weren't gaining any money. When he did leave however, my mother and I prospered since he wasn't spending all of our money on beer, cigarettes, and gambling. But the past, was the past and we aren't meant to dwell in it. So I've moved on gladly._

I set Jade down on the table and picked her bowl of pokechow off of the floor and set it down beside her.

"If you want anything else, just let me know," my mother said cheerily.

"Thanks mom. Can I have some more bacon?"

She turned around with the frying pan and placed some strips on my plate. Her face fell when she saw Jade on the table eating her pokechow.

"Oh, Alex. Please don't. It's not sanitary."

"Mom, I think Jade is a part of this family and doesn't deserve to have to eat off of the floor. Remember that one time when she single-handedly got rid of that Beedrill nest for you?"

"Oh, all right then."

My mother doesn't really think of Jade as a part of the family because she's a pokemon. She thought of her as a pet that should act like a pet and not like a human.

I quietly snuck Jade a few strips of bacon and some scrambled eggs to her now empty bowl of pokechow. Her face lit up as she ate it gratefully. When she was done, which was surprisingly quick, she licked her lips and rubbed her head under my chin affectionately.

Finished with breakfast, I stood up and picked up my backpack. "Oh, don't you want anymore?", said my mom when she turned around from the scraping sound of my chair. "Thanks mom, but if I eat anymore, I won't be able to walk through the North Forest."

"Yes, about that. Wouldn't you rather have me drive you to the ferry? It would be much quicker and less strain on you."

_My mother just didn't understand that this was something that I wanted, that I needed to do by myself, with the exception of Jade of course. Besides, I can train Jade on the wild pokemon on our way to the ferry. I loved my mother, I really did. But she was just too clingy and I just needed my own independence. _ I gave her a last hug, a kiss, and I walked out the door with Jade by my side. The sun was rising now. You could see it peeking over the tops of the trees. My house was near the north of the town, so it didn't take that long to reach North Forest. I stood at the edge of the forest for some time staring up at the towering trees and the shadows they cast on the ground. I glanced down at Jade and saw that she had a determined look on her face.

"Ready?", I asked her.

"Haha. I was just about to ask you the same thing," she replied.

I smiled at her, grateful to have her as my pokemon. "Ok then, let's go."

So we walked in and walked for about two hours, meeting some wild pokemon. Starly and Taillow were fairly easy pokemon for Jade, because she could beat them easily with an electric attack. We occasionaly came across some Zigzagoon and Sentret which were a little more difficult, but still fairly easy. Jade even said she glimpsed an Absol, but it ran away before I could get a better look at it. It wasn't until we met a Linoone that something interesting happened.

"Great!", I yelled, "Now use Volt Tackle!"

Jade charged at the Linoone with electricity crackling through her fur. She hit it squarely in the chest and sent it flying backwards into a tree. _This battle was already won. Jade has the advantage now that she's landing attack, after attack on the Linoone. It was tough, I'll give him that. He kept getting up after each hit despite his injuries._ All wild pokemon thought that if they lost, they would die. I guess it's just an instinct or something. Some wild pokemon fought to the death and others fought to make their opponent faint so they can escape. The Linoone winced with pain as it got shakily to it's feet. It was bleeding heavily, but he kept on fighting as if his injuries were only everyday bumps and bruises. He was panting heavily and he fell over as he tried to stand up on his wobbly legs. _Damn, this thing still wants to fight even thought he knows he's beat. I don't want to hurt it anymore than I have to._

"Jade! Hit it with a thunderbolt, just enough to knock it out."

"Got it!"

Her cheeks sparked and she let loose a bolt of electricity at him. He saw it coming, but he either wouldn't or couldn't make an attempt to get out of the way. He just closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact. When it hit him, he threw back his head and cried out in agony. Once Jade discharged enough electricity, the Linoone swayed and collapsed to the ground unconcious.

"Yes!", I yelled out, "Amazing job, Jade!"

"Thanks Alex," said Jade. She jumped into my arms and gave me a quick lick on the cheek. Then she pushed her head under my chin rubbing affectionately.

I put Jade down and walked over to the fainted Linoone. His wounds were as worse as ever and he was bleeding from his shoulder. I sighed heavily. He put up a good fight even though he couldn't land any attacks on Jade. I pulled a Full Restore out of my backpack and sprayed it all over his body. A few seconds passed, then his wounds slowly melted back into skin under his fur. Every trace of the battle diminished, except for the blood that matted down his fur.

His eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes. The moment he saw me his fur bristled and his whole body tensed up. He was emmiting a low growl and had his teeth bared. Jade came up behind me and stood next to me in case the Linoone attacked again.

"Don't worry," I said, "I won't harm you. I've healed your injuries and just wanted to say you've put up one hell of a fight."

Linoone's body loosened up and he stopped growling. He looked down at his paws in front of him and muttered "Thank you," as if he didn't want to admit that he was.

I watched as he slowly got up, watching me the whole time. _ It's like he's waiting for me to pounce on him, pull a knife out of my ass, and stab him to death. _When I did nothing, he turned around and walked back to the trees. Halfway there he turned around and looked at me. I got up off of the ground, smiled and waved at him. He smiled back and ran the rest of the way to the trees.

I turned around to look at Jade. She had a strange expression on her face. Like she was concentrating really hard.

"Whats wrong," I asked as I walked over to her and kneeled down next to her, "Are you hurt?"

"No I'm not hurt. It's something inside of me. I feel like-"

She all of a sudden turned bright white and then back to her original yellow.

"Woah. I think you were trying to evolve!"

"Yes! Finally! I thought it would never come."

"Well, let's find you another opponent. One more battle and you should evolve!"

"Ok! Let's go!"

So off we went looking for a pokemon, any pokemon. Odd how when you're not looking for pokemon, they always show up, but when you want a pokemon, they all seem to dissapear. We were walking for about a half hour when Jade spotted a Poochyena standing among some bushes. It was an unusual Poochyena. It had numerous scars on his body, it had bald patches of fur and worst of all, it's left ear was missing. I looked at it and kinda felt sorry for it. It must get beaten up by all of the other pokemon. _I couldn't fight this pokemon, it just wouldn't sit right with me._

Jade walked curiously up to the pokemon to try and investigate further. She was sniffing and staring at the strange pokemon. I turned around and kept walking the way we were heading before encountering the Poochyena. I said over my shoulder, "Come on Jade. Let's find another pokemon."

Then I heard Jade cry out in pain. I turned around and saw the Poochyena latched onto Jade's neck with his sharp fangs. His teeth sinking deeper and deeper into her neck. Blood was running down Jade's side and into the Poochyena's mouth. The taste of blood seemed to drive him crazy. He unclenched his hold on her, and just as quickly bit down on the other side of Jade's neck, drawing more blood from her.

I was panicing by now. I didn't know what to do. So I did the first thing that popped into my head. Which was charge. "Hey! Stop!," I yelled. I ran up to the Poochyena and kicked it hard in the stomach making it stumble backwards. He regained his balance quickly and dropped into a fighting stance, growling at me. Then I realized that the scars on his body and the missing ear wasn't a sign of weakness. He was battle-hardened.

I was nearly blinded as the Poochyena turned bright white and his form started to change. Shit. He's evolving. I didn't even wait for him to finish. I ran over to Jade and scooped her up in my arms as I turned tail and ran. I didn't know where I was running. I just had to get out of there. The blinding light faded away. The evolution was complete. He'd be on us in two seconds. I turned around and saw the newly evolved Mightyena sprinting straight towards me three times faster than I was running.

I guessed his movement and abrubtly turned right just before he knocked me over. That should buy me some time. A strong hard object came out of nowhere and hit me hard in the back. I was not expecting this so I fell forward and Jade flew out of my arms. Jade and I both fell to the ground and Jade let out another cry of pain.

The Mightyena vaulted himself over me at Jade, resuming his attack. I scrambled to my feet and charged once again at the Mightyena. This time he was ready and used Protect making a shield around Jade and himself. It was to late for me to stop, so I slammed into the barrier, which was as hard as a brick wall, and I fell back onto the ground. I now had a dull pain in my forehead making me dizzy and unable to stand. I watched in horror as the Mightyena slashed Jade viciously. Jade herself was now screaming from the blinding pain the Mightyena was causing her. (I know pokemon can't really scream but just go along with me) He was ripping of little bits of flesh and chewing on them sadistically. Jade was choking on her own blood as it streamed into her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. The Mightyena latched onto Jade's foot and tugged on it until it ripped loose. He took a moment to chew on that as well before spitting it out onto Jade's face. He continued to hack and slash at her body. Eventually he ripped open her stomach and some of her intestines spilled out onto the ground. Then he sat back on his haunches and watched as the tiny pokemon slowly died in front of him. Jade's pain was so intense that she couldn't even scream anymore. She was sobing and coughing up blood. She raised her head a little to look over at me.I was so stunned by what took place in front of me that I couldn't move a muscle. Then Jade sid in a whisper that I barely heard, "Alex," she coughed up a little more blood "I love you", then she slumped to the ground dead. All I could do was stare at her. Her once silky, soft, yellow fur was now stained blood-red. Her ears that were always perked up, were now limp. _No. It cannot be. It didn't happen. It couldn't happen. _I stared once more at Jade's body which used to be so beautiful, yet now mangled and mutilated beyond recongnition. Then a wave of realization swept over me like a tsunami.

"Noooooooooooooo!", I screamed out loud.

"Oh no. Look at the mess I made," said a voice. I looked up and saw that it was the Mightyena talking. He had an evil smile playing across his muzzle. He had Jade's blood running all around his mouth. He licked at it and his wicked smile grew even bigger.

"You mother fucker! I'm going to murder you!"

"Why, whatever for," he said sarcastically, "Certainly not because of this piece of trash." He nudged Jade's body with his paw.

"Don't touch her!"

"What are you going to do you pathetic human? You are lying here at my mercy! There is nothing you can do."

"I'll show you pathetic! I'll make you beg for mercy!"

I scrambled to my feet and ran at the Mightyena. I didn't know what I was going to do. I just wanted to hurt him as much as I could. I don't even care if I die. I mean, I just lost my reason for living to this piece of shit. The Mightyena expected my move and bit down hard on my right shoulder. His fangs sank deep as blood gushed out from the wound. I howled in anger and kicked him as hard as I could in his ribs. This made him release my shoulder and he tripped backwards. I was panting heavily as pain shot through my body from the bite on my shoulder. The Mightyena regained his balance and stared at me with all of his teeth bared

"You're going to pay for that."

"Hit me with your best shot," I said sarcastically. I was waiting for him to run at me again. He, however, charged up a Shadow Ball and shot it at me. I didn't even have time to dodge. It hit me in my chest, ripping through my t-shirt and skin. Then I was blasted backwards into a giant boulder. My head smashed against the rock and I fell to the ground on my back, staring straight up at the tree canopy. My vision was going blurry and there was a ringing in my ears. I couldn't hear the Starly chirping or the wind whistling through the trees anymore.

The Mightyena's face came into view, standing over me. That wicked smile back on his face again. He opened his jaws wide and some of Jade's blood splattered onto my face. He was just about to bite down on my neck, when a blast of flame hit him in his side knocking him out of my view. The flame was so warm and enticing. My vision was blurring even worse now. A dark shape came into my view. I couldn't make it out because my vision was so blurred by now. It was getting closer and closer to me. The next thing I knew was blackness...

**So there you have it chapter 1! I feel kind of evil right now but don't worry, I'm not really usually like this. Sorry to all those Pikachu fans out there but I needed room for a new character which you will meet in the next chapter! Hang with me for a little while. Please comment on this chapter. Comments and flames accepted. I love getting comments and feedback from my readers. Send suggestions on how I can improve my story or just comment if you liked it. However if you completely depised it, send death threats to me via PM's. Lol**


	3. The Love of a Houndoom

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 3:** **Love of a Houndoom**

**Note:** This will be a kinda dark chapter. Lots of fluffiness at the end of it though! Finally, right?! Sorry if I use the words "Oh" and "beautiful" too much.

_...I wanted it all to end...This eternal blackness...This eternal hell...Why was I here?...Was I dead?...Dead in this dark void of nothing?...No...I can't be dead...If I were dead, then all the pain would have left me by now...No...It was still with me...That dull pain in my head...Go away...Leave me be...I must wake up...Now!_

I snapped open my eyes. I heard the crackling of a fire and the Kricketune singing a song off in the distance. I was on my back again staring straight up at the vast sky. _When I passed out though, there were trees above me. Now I can see the open sky. _The moon was shining it's dazzling rays of light down on me.

I looked over to my right to the fire crackling merrily next to me. It's warmness was so nice against the cold air of the night. It was washing over me, bathing me in light and warmth. I remembered the attack of the Mightyena. Then a thought occured to me. Actually a couple of thoughts. _How am I still alive? _Then I remembered the giant blast of flame that came out of nowhere and hit the Mightyena. I looked down to where the Mightyena bit me on my shoulder and found that it had been bandaged up. _Who bandaged me up? How did I end up waking here when I passed out in the forest? How was there a campfire blazing next to me? They don't exactly light themselves. _I let out a gasp when I felt something stir against my side. I slowly turned my head to the left. What I saw froze me with fear. It was a Houndoom. _I remember when my mother used to tell me ghost stories about how Houndoom stole naughty kids from their beds and ate them. My friend even said that he once saw a Houndoom lurking around his house, one day when he got home from work. When he woke up the next morning, he couldn't find his Shinx anywhere._

Lucky for me, this Houndoom was asleep. If it was awake, I probably would have attacked it out of fear. It's head was resting on it's paws and it had it's eyes shut. It's body was pressed up against mine. I could feel it's breathing, it's heart beating and the warmth emanating off of it. It's tail that ended in a point was laying draped across my legs. I gave a strangled "Waaah!", and scooted away from it.

It awoke at the sound of my yell. It watched me calmly as I scurried away with a confused expression on it's face. I was about six feet away when the pain in my shoulder came back in full force. It felt like someone was digging their hand around inside my shoulder. I gave another strangled yell, this time a yell of pain rather than fear. Unable to move anymore, I fell to the ground on my back once again, staring back up at the sky which was looking so familiar to me by now. I gritted my teeth and shut my eyes in pain as wave, after wave of it coursed through my body emitting from my shoulder. I was panting heavily now through my gritted teeth. This pain is unbearable.

I heard soft padded thuds on the ground next to me. I opened my eyes to see the Houndoom looming over me. I let out a barely audible gasp. The Houndoom ignored this and laid down next to me. It pressed it's body up against me again bringing back the wonderful warm feeling. Then it turned it's head and laid it lightly on my chest. It let out a feminine sigh as it closed it's eyes again. I thought I was imagining things. I realized this Houndoom must be a female. At that moment my thoughts ceased as an enormous wave of pain swept over me and I collapsed into the black void once more...

_...Nightmares...That was all that came to me now...Nightmares filled with...Pain...Suffering...Death...Then there were nightmares of Jade...I see her die...over...and over again...Her voice echoing continuously..."Alex...I love you"..."Alex...I love you"...Oh why wouldn't it stop...Why couldn't I just drift into a never ending sleep...Where no nightmares could reach me...I am cursed...I must be cursed...Her screams fill my head...The Mightyena's face always looming into view with that wicked smile on his face...sometimes changing into a Houndoom with the same smile...Argh!...Make it stop...Kill me now...I long for death...Anything to get me out of this hell!...Kill me!..._

My forehead was cold as I slipped back into conciousness. I kept my eyes shut. Not yet. I wanted to lie here forever. It was so comfortable. That coldness was back again. I felt something wet trickle down the side of my face and into my hair. I opened my eyes and saw the Houndoom sitting next to me dragging a wet sponge over my forehead. She apparently stabbed it with the end of her tail and was using that as a makeshift arm. She smiled at me when she saw I was awake.

"You were sweating and writhing around in your sleep," she said in explanation.

"Oh...um...thanks," I mumbled. I still wasn't that fond of her...yet. Not because of her. Just because she was a Houndoom.

"I think you had a minor,...what do you humans call it? A...a...cussion?"

"What? Oh! You mean a concusion."

"Yes, thats it."

As the day wore on we talked. We talked about ourselves, and about just other things.

"...So how did you find me?" I asked.

"Well I'm traveling from the west side of the island to the east because I need to find a mate."

"Don't you live in a pack?"

"I did, but I severed ties with them. About a year ago, I found a mate. I was so happy with him. I loved him endlessly. Then this other female joined our pack and seduced him with Attract. They left together and we never saw them ever again. We had two pups though. Jason and Mimi," at this point, I noticed she had tears in her eyes, "One day they went off to play in the woods and when they didn't come home after sunset, like I told them to, I went looking for them," she was now talking with dry sobs, "I found them. Or what was left of them. All I saw was a Poocyena named Malak. He was easily recognizable because his left ear was missing." I was startled by this. This must be the same Poochyena, or Mightyena now, that killed Jade. "He...he was standing next to their bodies. I chased him, but he was too fast for me he got away." She completely broke down. She was crying uncontrollably and tears streamed from her eyes. I got up and walked over to sit next to her. I gave her a comforting pat on the back. She put her head on my chest and continued to sob. I could feel her shaking, so I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me, lightly stroking the soft fur on her neck. She stopped shaking but she was still sobbing.

"It's ok to cry. Let it out. You can't keep your emotions bottled up."

She continued to sob for a couple more minutes. I was right there comforting her the whole time. Then she raised her tearstained face to look up at mine.

"And then I met you in the forest, where Malak was attacking you. You needed help and I found something to live for again. Right now you're my reason for living."

I didn't know if this was just a statement or if there was a meaning behind it.

"He killed Jade, my Pikachu. Well I guess kill is an understatment. He tortured her and then watched her die. I couldn't do anything. He put up a wall of Protect so I couldn't reach him or her."

"I didn't know you had a Pikachu. Oh. I'm so sorry," she said as she put her head back against my chest soothing me slightly. _I didn't know what it was, but something about her filled me with warmth and calmed my nerves whenever she touched me._

"It's ok. The past is just that, the past. We need to put it behind us and move on with life. There's nothing you can do to change the past."

"That's true. I should put my past behind me. You must think I'm weak for breaking down like this."

"Wah?! No way. If you were weak Malak would have killed us both. Oh, one more thing. I didn't get your name."

"Oh, it's Karyme."

"Karyme... That's a beautiful name."

"Thanks," she said blushing. This was the first time I actually really took a good look at her. Her black fur, so smooth and silky, reflected the moonlight giving her an omnious glow. The orange fur matching the black in silkiness. The horns on her head made her look so elegant, yet so intimidating at the same time. But the best part of all, were her eyes. A deep chocolate brown color and so soft. I could just melt in their stare. Oh how I wish I could be lost in them forever.

"Well a beautiful name for a beautiful pokemon." I was taken aback slightly at my own words. I was only supposed to think that yet I blurted it out. I looked at Karyme to see if she thought I was crazy. She was, however, blushing even redder.

"Oh you're so sweet," she said as she gazed at me with those beautiful eyes. She got up and started walking to the trees. The sudden loss of her warmth saddened me. She turned around to look at me.

"Come here. I want to show you something." I winced with pain as I got up off of the ground.

"This better be pretty damn good," I joked as I walked over to her. She continued walking and I watched her tail as she flicked the tip of it back and forth. We came around a bend in the trees and onto the top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill lay Westfield City. It's buildings and skyscrapers letting off a bright light. We were still pretty far off from reaching it though. We looked down on the city from atop the hill. _What a view! _Karyme started down the hill, towards the city.

"Woah, hold on. Are we going to the city right now. Cause' I need to go get my stuff then."

She stopped and turned around, smiling warmly at me, still flicking the tip of her tail back and forth.

"No, I just want to show you something. Come on!" She started a fast walk down the hill. I quickened my pace to catch up to her. She stopped a few seconds later and slumped down on the grass on her back.

"Come on. Lay here next to me," she said patting the ground next to her with her paw. I walked up to her and stretched out on the grass next to her. Even though we were lying down, we could still see the lit up city along with the stars because of the slope of the hill.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Wow," was all I could say. The strange thing was, I wasn't looking at the view when I said it.

All of a sudden there was a noise behind us. A Rattata jumped out of a hole in the ground and jumped over Karyme. Karyme gave a squeal of fright and cringed up next to me, burrying her head in my shoulder. I watched the Rattata scurry away down the hill. I looked down at Karyme just as she looked up at me. Our eyes met for a second. A glorious second. The she smiled, blushed red again, and looked away. I smiled and returned my head to the ground. Karyme put her head back down on my shoulder and put a paw on my chest.

I loved tonight right now, and when I thought it couldn't get any better, a swarm of Volbeat drifted lazily across the sky, releasing a cloud of Sweet Scent over the landscape below. (lol I don't know why the Volbeat did this, but it makes it even better for Karyme and Alex) The scent filled our nostrils. _Oh how blissful it is to lie here with Karyme, the most beautiful pokemon I've ever met. I think...I think I might be in love with her._

_What did I do to deserve Alex? He is the most amazing person I've ever met. I wish he would hold me tight to him and never ever let go_.

Karyme and I both looked at each other. She looked so beautiful through the pink fog that was the Sweet Scent. It drifted around us making both of us want each other even more. "I love you," we both said at the same time. Karyme looked at me like she was stunned beyond words, and I know I looked the same way too.

_Oh my gosh! He loves me! What should I do now? Should I kiss him? Would he push me away? How I longed to though..._

_Did she just say she loved me? Did I just say I loved her? Is this possible? A human loving a pokemon?_

I puzzled no longer as I just stared into her eyes, lost to the world. Then she moved her head up and softly pushed her muzzle against my lips. A wonderful euphoria exploded in my mind as I melted from the touch of her muzzle. She pressed her muzzle harder against my lips when I didn't object. I suddenly felt pressure against my lips and Karyme pushed her tongue into my mouth. I moved my hands to wrap around her and pull her tight against me. The warmness of her body made me feel even better about her. Her tongue was wrestling with mine for dominance. But I wasn't going to give it up. I pulled away after a couple minutes and gazed into her eyes again. She blushed, then giggled girlishly. I pulled her back in for another kiss and we resumed our wrestling match with our tongues. I was exploring her mouth as she was mine. I hit a sweet spot with my tongue and she let loose a deep moan in her throat. I pulled away again and moved to her neck where I planted soft kisses under her chin and neck. I loved the way her fur felt against my lips as I roved over her neck. She arched her head back and gave another moan of pleasure as I kissed the underside of her chin. I moved back up her muzzle planting kisses on the way and locked lips with her muzzle once again. She gave me a hard long kiss and then put her head back down on the ground, mine soon following hers. I held her tight to me. I would never let her go. We gazed into each other eyes as sleep slowly consumed us... And to think this morning, I wasn't fond of her.

**Well so there's chapter three! I know I skipped from 1 to 3 but the prologue counts as a chapter too. So the previous chapter is really chapter two. Grrrr I know I did something wrong with this chapter. I just can't figure out what. Someone please tell me what I did wrong with this chapter!! As always ****please comment on this chapter. Comments and flames accepted. I love getting comments and feedback from my readers. Send suggestions on how I can improve my story or just comment if you liked it. However if you completely depised it, send death threats to me via PM's. Lol**


	4. A Westfield Adventure

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 4:**** A Westfield Adveture**

**Note: **I think maybe I should start adding this at the beginning of each chapter. Pokemon is owned by the brilliant people at Nintendo. I only own Alex, and some later stuff. K, so a lot of you say that they fell in love too fast and that I need more detail. I was just setting the hook, and you guys fell for it! Hook, line and sinker. As for more detail, I will try my best to put in as much detail as I can! Sorry if I say the words "I" and "beautiful" too much. I've only just noticed it. You're also going to have to put with my bitching about how soft and warm Karyme's fur is, her warm body, and her beautiful eyes. Those are the most important parts of her and I just wanted to express that. Anyone want me to shut up yet? This is the longest chapter I have written so far! Enjoy!

The blinding morning sun filtered through my eyelids, slowly easing me awake. I kept my eyes closed. I wanted to lie here a bit more. The sun was delightfully warm against my skin. I lied there for five, ten, fifteen minutes. I lost count after a while. I brought back memories of last night. The way Karyme's fur glistened in the moonlight, her wonderful brown eyes, the warmness of her body against mine. _Ah, but who needed memories when I had the real thing right next to me. _

I reached out an arm to wrap around her. The problem was that, that was kind of hard to do when there was nothing besde you to put an arm around. My eyes snapped open. I looked to my right. Nothing there. I frantically looked all around me. I was the only living thing on this hillside. _Damnit! Was that all just a dream? I probably look like an idiot out here all by myself._ Then something came up behind me, pushed me in my back and yelled "boo!" in my ear.

"Shit!", I yelled as I spun around. It was Karyme. Happiness flooded back into me. It was definitely her. The morning sun gave her fur a sheen, and her loving brown eyes were gazing into mine. She had a smile, along with a satisfied expression on her face.

"Good morning," she said as she walked up to me and gave me a hard kiss, "Shouldn't we get moving?"

"Wait. 'We?' Does that mean that you want to come travel with me?

"Of course I do! Like I said before Alex, you are my reason for living now."

I was so happy. I felt like I could soar. Karyme and I returned to the campsite and packed up everything. We returned to the hillside and continued on down it towards Westfield City. The grass was swaying in the gentle breeze that rolled across the ground. I inhaled deeply taking in the wonderful scent of pure nature, also catching a whif of Sweet Scent. A smile spread across my face from the smell of the scent. I looked down at Karyme. She was trotting along beside me, looking around at the scenery and wild pokemon. My stomach gave an enormous growl. I realized just how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten in two days.

"I know where we're stopping first, once we get to Westfield City."

"Yes, I am pretty hungry too. I hope I can get a Buneary."

"What?! You can't eat a Buneary!"

"I eat them all the time, along with Buizel, Rattata, Teddiursa, and rarely Pachirisu."

"We only eat domestic pokemon, like Seaking, Grumpig, or Miltank."

"You humans are stranger than I thought."

"Coming from a pack, I wouldn't expect you to know that much about humans."

"My mother used to have a trainer, but she was released when he got, um... how do you say it? Arrested? Well anyways, she was released. She told me all about machines, cars, pokeballs, and trains. She never told me how they worked, but I was still amazed."

We continued on down the hill. I explained simple things to her like engines, how money worked, telephones, electricity, reading and writing, television, plumbing, and police. Finally we arrived in Westfield City. This city was considered a tourist trap. A lot of people came down from Sinnoh, and even other regions, to vacation here. The prices on pretty much everything were all jacked up. I used to come here as a kid though when my parents were still together, but that was the past.

Despite all this, I loved this city. The best part about it was that, it was more of a pokemon city than a human city. There were pokemon all over doing everyday human jobs. There was a Flygon letter carrier, flying from building to building delivering mail. There was a Blaziken police officer that pulled over some guy in a car for speeding and was talking to him. Then there were three Machoke construction workers sitting on a steel beam, eating their lunches. All three of them whistled and cat-called at Karyme as we walked by. "Hey nice catch there, man," one of them called out to me. Karyme blushed and moved a bit closer to me. I wasn't angry at the Machoke at all. On the contrary, I found it amusing. I've never seen Machoke act like that. We eventually found a diner not too far into the city. It was a modern place. This diner didn't give people the usual worn-out feeling that diners usually give people. It was called Dap's Grille. We walked inside and found an empty booth. Karyme sat down and I slipped in beside her. We settled in and took a look at the menu.

"So this is where humans eat," said Karyme as she looked around the diner.

"Sometimes. We usually come here if we're on-the-go, or away from home."

"What will they be serving us?"

"Well, it depends on what you want," I said looking at the menu again. It was very difficult for Karyme to choose. She didn't know what all of the different foods were. I settled on just starting her out with a steak and some onion rings. A waitress finally came over to us. She was a Medicham wearing an apron and holding a paper pad and a pen.

"Hello. My name is Megan and I'll be your waitress for today," she said smoothly. "Can I take your orders now?"

"Yes. Can I get a personal pan pizza with and an iced tea?"

"All right. And for you miss?", she said looking over at Karyme.

"A steak, onion rings, and some water, please."

"And how would you like your steak cooked?"

"Raw. I'll cook it myself."

"We'll have it cooked well done," I said hastily.

An hour later, we stepped out of the diner into the sun's brilliant rays. We walked to the city's pokemon center and checked in for a room. "Here you are," Nurse Joy said as she handed me a card key and my receipt. I found our room, unlocked it, and walked in. It was a 2-room suite split into a living room and a bedroom/bathroom. In the living room, the walls were painted the most dull paint of blue ever. There was a tan colored couch, gray carpet, a plasma screen on the wall, a lamp in the corner, and a wide window that let in the sun, lighting up the room a little. The coffee table was littered with magazines and the couch had a sag on one side of it, as if the previous owner of this room did nothing but sit there all day. All in all, it was a pretty plain room. Karyme however went estatic.

"Wow! This place is amazing!"

I left Karyme to explore, while I went to put my stuff in the bedroom. It was the same if not more dull, than the living room. It had a queen sized bed on the opposite wall of the door. The sheets were the same boring shade of blue as the surrounding walls. Two night stands stood on either side of the bed, both with lamps on them. A rack with a bunch of hangers on it stood on the left wall, and on the right was the bathroom. It had a shower in the corner, a sink and toilet on one wall, and on the other, a towel rack. The floor was tiled and the walls painted a cream color.

I placed my backpack down besdie the nightstand, and walked back into the living room. Karyme was flipping the lamp switch on and off making the lamp flicker.

"Look!", she said with a wild expression on her face, "Does it use ecklekcity?"

"That's uh, electricity," I said trying really hard to supress a laugh.

"Fascinating!"

"Well, since it's only 1:30, it would be a waste to stay here the rest of the day. How about we check out the city?"

Half an hour later we were standing in line at the Carnival. This was one of the main attractions in Westfield City. I just wanted to see what all the fuss over this place was really about. After we got in, we looked around for a good place to start. There were hundreds of people milling around us. They were laughing, talking, and having a good time. Some of them were eating ice cream cones or corndogs. They were pointing at various rides, daring each other to go on them. Every now and then, ringing would go off in the distance, indicating someone has won a prize. People could also be heard screaming their heads off on an extremely boring ride.

"So where do you want to go?", I asked Karyme.

"Oh, anywhere is fine. You lead the way. I'll follow you."

So off we went, looking for a decent ride to start off on. Karyme looked at everything she possibly could that we passed by. From a big game booth, right down to a measly trash can. There were gift shops displaying their most colorful merchandise to attract customers. There were food stands with funnel cakes, cannolis, corndogs, hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, elephant ears, ice cream, slushies, nachos, fried vegetables, popcorn, pizza, chicken, and sherbert. There were game booths that flashed brilliant lights and displayed all of their best prizes, all trying to scam people out of their money.

But the rides, the rides were the best part. There was a Hoppip feris wheel, a Hitmontop spinning ride, a Ponyta carousel, an enormous Lickitung slide, where you slide down it's tongue, a Gyrados water slide, a Diglet mining ride and a go-kart track with different pokemon on each car. My favorite ride was the last one we came to. Rayquaza's Rage. It was a roller coaster with loops, spins, twists and drops.

"Come on Karyme! It's loads of fun!"

"Then why are people screaming? It sounds as if they're getting hurt."

"It sounds like that, but it's because it's fun!"

She looked over to me with a frown on her face, "Well to me it doesn't sound like they're having fun." A train from the ride just went by on the track above us. The screams sounded ten times louder when I listened to them. Maybe because this was the first time I actually did notice them.

"Come on. Would I let you get hurt?" She pondered this for a moment thinking it over in her mind. "No, I guess you wouldn't," she said giving me a playful nudge and nuzzling my neck. Nothing really interesting happened in line, except that I pissed off some guy and his Hitmonlee because he thought I cut him. Once we got up to the deck, I took a good look at the ride. It was six cars long and held twenty four people. It looked like Rayquaza. The first car had his head protruding from the front and the last car had his tail. The ride was painted green, the same as everything else around us. We stepped up to it and got in. A ride supervisor came and strapped us in. She went off to check the other passengers and Karyme turned to me.

"Why do they have to strap us in?", she asked in a curious voice.

"So we don't fall out," I said turning to look at her.

"I was afraid you'd say that," She slumped her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. "I think I may be having second thoughts."

"Don't worry, we'll be perfectly fine." She still didn't look to convinced so I placed my hand on her thigh and rubbed back and forth. Her fur was standing on edge, but the moment I touched it, she relaxed and let out a long exhale. She turned to look at me again with those those beautiful eyes. "As long as you're with me, you have no reason to fear anything that I don't."

She looked at me a while longer then gave me a soft kiss on my lips. She whispered, "Thank you, Alex. You always make me feel better." into my ear and then put her head down on my shoulder. It was happening again. That blissful warmness was spreading through me. A quick jolt of movement, brought both of us back to reality. We were moving. The ride picked up speed out of the station and up the hill. (I'm sorry, but I am not going to explain how the ride goes. I've written it out. It's too long and I don't think you would be able to follow me.) After two and a half minutes, the ride pulled back into the station. Karyme and I both got. I was a little dizzy from the ride, but Karyme was so dizzy she was nearly falling over. She just wasn't used to the feeling of dizziness. I watched as she stumbled around. Feeling sorry for her, I picked her up in my arms and carried her down the stairs. She smiled up at me and rested her head against my chest.

As the day wore on, we went on every ride once and Rayquaza's Rage at least four times. Now it was 11:07. Karyme was even getting a bit bored of Rayquaza's Rage. We were heading for the exit, both agreeing that today was an amazing day. We headed out of the carnival and down the sidewalk, back to the Pokemon Center. On the way, we passed up a night club. You could here the bass from the music clearly. Karyme turned her head at the sound and ahe stopped to stare at it. (Stop and Stare!!) "What is that amazing sound?", she asked with a bemused expression on her face.

"That would be a music."

"I've never heard music like that before."

"You wanna check it out?"

"Oh, yes I do! But why do they play music at this specific place?"

"It's just a place where people can come to hang out whenever they want," I said as we headed inside the door. The club was one big open room. All around the sides were tables and a bar could be seen off to the right. It had an upper balcony with even more tables. A DJ booth was put up against the back wall. Lights were flashing everywhere, giving the place a multi-color glow. Pokemon and peolple were out on the dance floor dancing to "Heut Ist Mein Tag" by Blumchen. I looked down at Karyme. She had a look of amazement on her face.

"So do you like it?"

"This is amazing!" I chuckled just as the song ended.

"All right everybody," the DJ yelled into a microphone, "Is everybody having a good time?" He was met with a storm of applause and cheering from the crowd on the dance floor. "I like what I'm hearin'. Now here's a favorite for y'all. 'Move Your Body' by Eiffel 65!" The song started up and everybody cheered, moving back onto the dance floor. I looked down at Karyme again.

"Hey this is a pretty good song. Wanna dance?"

"Ooooh, yes!"

So Karyme and I moved out onto the dance floor and found a good spot.

_'Move your body, every everybody,_

_Move your body, come on now everybody,_

_Move your body, move your body,_

_Every body, come on now everybody!'_

Karyme started to dance. It was the most unusual dance I had ever seen. She was shaking her head from side to side and she bent her knees so that she was almost touching the floor. Then she reared up on her hind legs and brought her front paws slamming back down to the ground and resumed her head shaking motion. She had her tail swishing back and forth in a snake-like movement. This time I failed to supress a laugh. It looked a bit like she was hardcore dancing.

"Oh no. Did I do something wrong? I knew I would."

"No, no. That was really good dancing," she stared at me like I was crazy, "Well, I mean, you wouldn't be out of place at a Metal concert. You just need to learn. Here let me show you."

_'You want to move the world, start with your body,_

_Yo, come on, you gotta start with something,_

_If you wanna move your mind, just move your body,_

_Move your mind, move your mind, it's gonna cost you nothing'_

_'You want to move someone, start with your body,_

_Yo, come on, and try to move somebody,_

_If you wanna move alone, then everybody,_

_We'll move along with you.'_

"There you go! You're getting it! Now you just need to shake your hips a little more."

"Like this?", she said as she bent her front knees and started shaking her rear end in the air from side to side. I chuckled softly, "Not quite, but you're getting there."

_'Move your body, every everybody,_

_Move your body, come on now everybody,_

_Move your body, move your body,_

_Everybody, come on now everybody!'_

The song ended and everybody cheered and applauded.

"I'm going to get something to drink," I told Karyme as another song started up.

"Ok. Can I stay here and dance a bit more?"

"Sure. I'll be at that table over there," I said pointing to a table beind me, "Come find me when you're done. This song is too fast for me. Just don't get too good at dancing while I'm gone."

"I can't promise anything," she said giving me a soft kiss before I departed. I walked over to the bar and stood waiting for the bartender. He was a burly guy at least a foot taller than me, with a full goatee. He gave me a suspicious look. I smiled and said, "Just a ginger ale on the rocks." (Best I could do for a drink. Alex is still underage) He nodded and turned around. I looked at the other occupants at the bar. There was a guy draining shot after shot of amber liquid. His friends were all crowded around him, cheering and egging him on. He grinned stupidly and fell to the floor flat on his face. His friends gave the biggest cheer yet as they dragged him away. I heard a clunck of glass on wood and turned around to see the bartender pushing a glass towards me "Three fifty," he said roughly. I pulled out a five and threw it down on the bar in front of him. I picked up my glass and headed for the table. I collapsed into the seat and took a sip of my drink. I looked around the dance floor for Karyme. I spotted her after a couple of seconds. She was way better at dancing now. But suddenly she stopped. She was staring at a Manetric. It looked like he was talking to her. Karyme started shaking her head. Not like when she was dancing. She looked like she was saying no. The Manetric took a step towards her and she started backing away, with the Manetric still advancing on her. _Ok, something's wrong. _I got up and walked over to them.

"...Don't worry. That human will never know."

"No. I don't want to," said Karyme still backing away. I came up behind Karyme and stood next to her.

"Is there a problem here?"

"No, there isn't. Unless you want to make one," said the Manetric.

"Look. We don't want any trouble. So can you just leave us alone?", I said staring at the Manetric.

"Well trouble, is what you have just found!", said the Manetric crouching into a fighting stance and baring his teeth.

"Would you really start a fight with all of these people as witnesses?"

He relaxed and just stared angrily at me. _I guess he wasn't as stupid as he looked._ After a couple of seconds, he turned and walked back into the crowd.

"Thanks, Alex. That guy was such a creep. He wanted me to go with him back to his apartment."

"No problem. You just gotta watch out for guys like that. You handled the situation well." She smiled warmly up at me. "May I have this dance, my fair lady?", I said jokingly, with an accent.

"Yes you may, kind sir."

So we danced..., and danced..., and danced some more. My ginger ale sat forgotten on the table. It was nearly two in the morning when we both started getting worn out. Besides, we were some of the only people left. So we stepped back outside into the cool night air. I decided to carry Karyme because she was exhausted. I started off for the Pokemon Center. Karyme kept nuzzling the bottom of my chin affectionately, silently thanking me for the night. I stroked her fur lightly, loving how warm her body felt against mine. We were nearly there when I saw a Lucario and a Lopunny standing on the sidewalk. They both had on the skimpiest of clothing and they showed that they were both female. As I approached the Lucario grinned at me.

"Wanna have some fun?", she said in a seductive tone and stroking her body, completely ignoring the fact that I was holding a Houndoom.

"No thanks. I've had too much fun for tonight."

She gave me the dirtiest look she could muster and slumped back against the wall, whispering to the Lopunny and pointing at me. I kept on walking. When Karyme and I were both out of earshot, we both busted out laughing. Now that was hilarious. About five times more funny than the Machoke. Karyme and I laughed all the way back to the Pokemon Center, which was only another block away. When we got there, we entered the door and came face to face with a very angry Joy. She had her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot on the ground. She looked like my mother did when I "accidently" set the living room curtains on fire.

"Nurse Joy! Um... what are you doing up this late?", I asked somewhat lamely.

"I was just about to ask you that. Do you have any idea what time it is? I've been doen here for three hours, waiting for you to get back," she then went on a rant about how I am still young and needed sleep. Hell, once I stood up for four days straight surviving on coffee and pizza. It was nearly twenty minutes later when Joy finally said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She put a lot of emphasis on the last word, shut off the lights and disappeared up the stairs. I resisted he urge to flip her off and call her something rude. I shouldn't be like this. She is always under a lot of stress during the day with sick and injured pokemon, and I just prevented her from three hours of sleep. Wow, I feel like such a douchebag when I think about it that way. I felt Karyme squirm in my arms. She fell asleep five minutes into Nurse Joy's little rant. I sighed and set off to find our room.

I swiped the card key and entered. The moon was shining in through the window, giving the room a ghastly glow. I carried Karyme over into the bedroom. Shit. It was dark in here. I hope I don't trip over anything. Finally I found my way over to the bed and set down Karyme. _Now to let some light in._ I ripped open the curtains and moonlight streamed through the window into the room. I walked over to the other side of the bed and took off my socks, pants, and shirt. I threw them into pile by the side of the bed. I laid down and slipped under the sheets. Flipping onto my back, I stared at the ceiling. _What an amazing day. And it was all because I spent it with Karyme. _My heart sank a little. _If only Jade were here to enjoy it with us. She would have loved the cotton candy at the carnival... No. The past was gone. There's nothing I can do to bring her back. _I sighed and turned to stare at Karyme. Wow. She looked like a goddess lying there, with her slim body and shiny fur that reflected the moonlight. Her forelegs were crossed with her paws resting on the bed. Her hind legs were lying perfectly in line with each other, her paws pointing down towards the end of the bed.I snuggled up close to her, puttting an arm around her back, pulling her even closer. I slipped the sheets over her covering us both up. I gazed at her face. Her horns gleamed and glistened in the moonlight and the orange fur on her muzzle shone too, now that I was close enough to see it. I tightened my grip on her and rubbed the fur on her back. Before drifting off to sleep, I thought I saw the faintest of smiles appear on her face...

I had the strangest dream. Nurse Joy came into my room with a chainsaw. She grinned evily and said, "Goodnight," in the same tone she said it before. She revved up the engine and swung it down at my head. I dodged and leapt out of the bed. I ran out of the bedroom, out the door and into the hall. I sprinted off through the halls and eventually came out into the lobby. There was Karyme standing in the center. Karyme jumped in front of me to protect me. I hugged her close to me, feeling her warmth. Then she turned and ran when she saw Nurse Joy barreling towards her with the chainsaw, yelling like a maniac. The loss of her warmth devastated me. I felt it leave emotionally..., and for some reason physically.

I opened my eyes and looked to where Karyme was lying. She was gone. I heard a noise. It came from the bathroom. I turned to my other side and saw light filtering under the bottom of the door. _Oh, she's only in the bathroom_. I slowly closed my eyes again, then snapped them back open. _ What was she doing in the bathroom? Did pokemon use bathrooms? Well, some did. But Karyme doesn't know how to use them. I never showed her how. _A wave of sleep swept over me. I'll think about it in the morning. I yawned widely and drifted off to sleep again...

Morning. My favorite time of day. The sun rises, waking humans and pokemon alike from their slumber. Some know it as the most peaceful time of day. Everything is peaceful and quiet. The beginnings of a new day. I yawned and stretched, sitting up in bed. The sheets slid off of me revealing Karyme. She was in the same position that she fell asleep in. She woke up from the movement, yawning widely revealing her pointy teeth.

"Oh, just five more minutes?", she said.

"Ok, but only five. We don't want to miss the ferry. It leaves in an hour." I slipped out of bed and pulled the sheets back over her. She curled up and dozed off again. After I got dressed, I picked up my backpack. I looked around the room to make sure that I didn't forget anything. When I was sure I had everything, I looked back at Karyme again. A smile spread across my face. _ I'm gonna mess with her. _I quietly put my backpack down, and crept up to the bed. Then I jumped and body slammed the bed, in the space next to her. Karyme gave a startled yelp, got tangled in the sheets and fell over the side of the bed. I let out a triumphant laugh and looked over the side of the bed to where Karyme was sprawled on the floor. She was panting heavily, taking in deep breaths of air.

"You up now?", I said.

"Oh, you're going to get it," she replied. She got to her feet quickly. Before I could do anything, she leapt up and hit me in the chest with her two front paws, sending me flying over the bed and landing on the other side on my back. Karyme landed on top of me and I let out an "Oof" as all the wind was knocked out of me. Karyme looked into my eyes and smiled

"There. Now we're even," she said, giving me a lick on the cheek, before I got up from the ground.

"You gotta admit though, you got me good, but I got you even better," I said picking up my backpack and heading out the door. We gave the card key back to Nurse Joy and said goodbye. There was some stiffiness behind her words as she said goodbye in return. Karyme and I headed for the docks at the north of the city, where they had a two-way ferry from Westfield City to Sinnoh. We walked for about forty five minutes looking around at all of the pokemon and humans interacting and going about everyday business. We passed an Electabuzz, working on some broken power lines, an old couple feeding a group of Taillow, a Swampert and Floatzel washing windows on the side of a building, a couple of kids playing with their Eevee in the park, a Machop and some guy having a fist fight, and a Loudred selling newspapers at a stand.

We finally reached the ferry and bought our tickets from a tired woman in the booth. With ten minutes to spare, we made perfect time. There were already a bunch of early morning stragglers, trying to catch the early ferry to Sinnoh. Karyme and I made our way over to the waiting area. Karyme sat down next to me and rested her head in my lap. I stroked her head, feeling her silky fur slide through my fingers.

Finally they opened the gates and allowed us to board. We joined the throng of people and boarded the ferry. Ferry, was an understatement. It was at least as big as half of a cruise ship and nearly as wide. Many cars were also boarding the ferry, filling up all of the empty space. Karyme and I found a good spot near the front. I looked out into the wide ocean to see if I could spot Sinnoh. After a good minute of searching, I saw it. "Hey, Karyme. Look. There's Sinnoh," I said pointing to a little speck out in the distance. Karyme reared up onto her hind legs and rested her front paws on the top of the railing. She looked to where I was pointing and squinted her eyes.

"Oh, yeah. I see it." She looked at it a while longer then said, "What's it like over there?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I've been stuck here all my life. I mean, of course I've seen it on TV, but TV never does give you the same feeling as being there. All I know is that it is very spacious with a lot of undeveloped land."

"Good. I don't think I can stand any more cities. It's just to crowded."

There was a giant roar of an engine and a blast of a horn following it. Then we started moving as there was another blast of the horn. Now, I am finally out of here...

**So there you have it! Chapter 4! Just so you know Alex will be getting some new companions pretty soon. I have four confirmed for sure. Wanna know who they are? Do you really? Too bad! Just gonna have to wait for the next chapter to find out. I'm so mean, huh? (dodges knives thrown at me by everyone) Wow, long chapter. Took me four days to type this. So next chapter is coming, just wait for it. As always, ****please comment on this chapter. Comments and flames accepted. I love getting comments and feedback from my readers. Send suggestions on how I can improve my story or just comment if you liked it. However if you completely depised it, send death threats to me via PM's. Lol**


	5. Heart of Gold

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 5:**** Heart of Gold**

**Notes:** I have finally updated! Hooray! (cheers in background). So this chapter breaks my record for longest chapter so far. You will find out some stuff in this chapter and even more in the next one. As always, I do not own Pokemon, yadda, yadda, I own Alex, Karyme, Malak, and I still own Jade even though she isn't in this story anymore. Or is she? 0o Oh well, for now just enjoy!

The ferry trudged on and on through the darkening waters. _It was getting late. I thought we would dock by midday. We made it to Sinnoh by midday, yet here we were at dusk, still on this damn ferry. _I asked one of the employees that worked on the ferry, where we were headed and she replied, "We're docking in Canalave City. It's just around a small peninsula towards the west part of Sinnoh. It's the closest city with dockage for a boat this size."

It was twilight when we finally came around a bend in the peninsula, and we saw it. Canalave City. It's many buildings were lit up and I could just make out a drawbridge stretching across a canal that cut through the center of the city. The docks were littered with boats, varying in size from a small tin boat, to a big ocean liner.

"Look Karyme. There's Canalave City," I said. I walked up to the front of the boat and leaned on the railing, taking in the sight. (GTA 4's theme song, "Soviet Connection", playing in the background, lol) Karyme stood next to me, staring at the city. I looked down at her and a smile spread across my face. _ From the expression she was wearing, I could tell she didn't like cities that much._

So the ferry pulled into the dock and Karyme and I were one of the first ones off. We stepped through the ticket barrier and into Canalave City. It wasn't nearly as big or as exciting as Westfield City, but it was still pretty amazing. We walked off looking for the Pokemon Center. On the way, we passed a Gym, a Library, many houses, and some guy sitting on the ground next to a dumpster. His neck and hands were twitching and he was asking anyone who passed if they wanted to buy a couch from him. We quickened our pace and moved on.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?", I replied still looking at our surroundings.

"Could we... umm... sleep outside tonight? It makes me feel more... comfortable."

"Sweet! It's gonna be just like camping!"

We kept on walking, right past the Pokemon Center and into the woods. The moon was fully up by now. You could see it's rays coming through gaps in the tree canopy. We found a small clearing and I swept away some fallen leaves and twigs, before spreading out my sleeping bag on the ground. Tonight was a warm night, so I didn't make a fire. Then I remembered. _We weren't in Leynoh anymore. That means we could capture pokemon. That means Karyme could be captured by another trainer. I needed to give her her own pokeball._

"Hey, Karyme?"

"Yes, Alex?", said Karyme, looking over from where she was standing.

"See, now that we are in Sinnoh. Anybody can capture pokemon. Including you. So I need you to have your own pokeball. Just incase."

"Oh, so is big, strong Alex going to capture me now?"

"Ooooo you better watch out. Here I come!" I jumped at Karyme and she easily dodged me, making me fall to the ground. I got up from the ground and ran at her again. She jumped over me, but I grabbed her around the middle and held her tight. We both fell to the ground, with me still holding her. She smiled at me and gave me a kiss on the cheek, before touching the button on the pokeball with her paw. She dissapeared inside. After there was a "ding" she reappeared. I put her ball on my belt. I hung up my backpack and belt on tree that had a severed branch sticking out. I slipped into the sleeping bag and Karyme crawled in after me. She pushed her body up against mine and wrapped her leg around my thigh. Then she nuzzled my cheek and put her head under my chin, letting out a deep sigh. Sleep finally came to calm me, and I fell into the world of slumber...

I woke up. It was still night. I didn't even know why I woke up. I looked over to my watch on my wrist. 3:12. I shivered slightly. It was a bit cold. Then I realized that I was the only one in the sleeping bag. I sat up and looked around. _Karyme was gone again! Where did she keep dissapearing to and why? All three nights I slept with her, I wake up to find her gone. Wait. _I heard footsteps. _Someone or something is appraching. _I lowered myself back to the ground and squinted my eyes, so that I could see, but it looked like I was sleeping. They were drawing nearer. Then, through the bushes, came Karyme. I shut my eyes fully and listened as she came up to the sleeping bag and crawled in again. She gave a small whimper as she wrapped her leg around mine again and put her head under my chin. _Why did she whimper? Was she in pain? Was she sad?_ I thought this over for a couple minutes as Karyme fell asleep. _She's hiding something from me. And tomorrow night, I'm going to find out what..._

The next morning, I was up just as the sun was peeking through the tops of the trees. Karyme was still asleep. I decided to try my luck at breakfast. I gathered up some wood and made a fire, or actually, something to light on fire. Now the problem was lighting it. I sat there thinking. Then a thought came to my head. _My knife! I almost forgot about it. I bought it when i was eighteen. I carried it wherever I went. _I found a rock on the ground and started scraping my knife against it, trying to produce a spark. I must have been at it for a whole minute, when a tongue of flame hit the wood and lit it. It was blazing and crackling, as if it had been burning for hours. At first I thought it was me that lit it. Then I turned my head to the left and I saw Karyme had her eyes open. She was still in the sleeping bag, but had her head facing me.

"I saw you were having problems," she said sleepily.

"Yeah, I was. Thanks. You go back to sleep now. I'll wake you up when it's ready."

She gave a huge yawn and said, "Ok," rolling back onto her side. About fifteen minutes later, I had succeeded in making porridge. (best thing I could think of) I may have burnt it a little, but I like it like that. Karyme yawned, stretched and crawled out of the sleeping bag to sit next to me.

"Hey, Karyme. Perfect timing." I put a bowl down in front of her.

"What is it?", she asked curiously, sniffing the bowl.

"Porridge. It might not taste as good as it's supposed to, but hey, I'm no chef."

She took a lick of it and next thing I knew she was done. She was already on her third bowl before I was even halfway done with my first one. When we were both done, I decided it was time to pack up and head back into town. I rolled up the sleeping bag neatly and tied it to my backpack. Before we left, I stamped on the fire to put it out. We headed back towards Canalave City, the way we came.

"So, do you wanna check out the city some more?", I said as we walked.

"Maybe we'll find another night club," said Karyme, her eyes lighting up.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find-" I was cut off by a loud roar that echoed through the trees. We stopped and looked around for the source of the noise. I was trying to figure out what made that noise.

"Do you know what that was?", I asked Karyme.

"No, but it sounded like it was coming from over there," said Karyme staring off into the trees. I ran off in the direction Karyme was staring at, with Karyme crashing along behind me. I couldn't really tell, but whatever made that roar, sounded like it was in trouble. We came up to a clearing in the trees and stopped right on the edge, so that we were still hidden.

There were eight men in the clearing surrounding a Charizard. Ropes were wrapped around it's wrists and four men were holding on to them, two to each rope. The other four were standing around it holding rifles. The Charizard was thrashing around, it's eyes wide with fear and anger. There were cuts and slashes all over it's body and blood was running out of them, down his body in streams. I could just make out a tranquilizer dart sticking out of it's neck, but it was somehow still on it's feet, fighting. It let loose a powerful flamethrower attack at one of the men holding the rifles. It engulfed him in flames and he dropped the gun, falling to the ground. He was screaming in agony as the flames licked across his body and consumed him. Then his screams stopped and he was still.

"Hit him again, Max!", one of the men yelled. Another man shot his rifle, expelling a dart. It hit the Charizard in the ribs. He roared in pain and in retaliation, he tugged hard on one of the ropes binding him. The two men that were holding on to the rope were thrown forward. The Charizard swung it's heavy tail around and brought it smashing down on the man's back, snapping his spine in two. It grabbed the other man with it's free hand and picked him up by the throat. It dug it's nails into his neck and squeezed hard. The man started groping for his throat, trying to pry off the Charizard's fingers, but to no avail. His breathing became labored and his eyes widened as the Charizard squeezed even harder. There was a snap and the man went limp. The Charizard threw the dead man aside and looked to the other rope binding him. He burned the rope easily with a Flamethrower and stared angrily at the men holding the rest of the burned rope. They turned around and took off into the trees. The other remaining men were getting scared now. They dropped their rifles and pulled out magnums. They shot at the Charizard and the bullets hit his outstretched wings, making holes in them. The Charizard roared again in pain.

"No! Don't shoot it! We need it alive! It's no use to us dead!", the leader of the group yelled. He knew the battle was lost. You could hear the doubt in his voice. "All right men, retreat. We'll come back for it later, when it's passed out. It won't be going anywhere." The remaining few didn't need telling twice. They turned their backs and ran. The Charizard gave one last roar at the retreating men. It couldn't take anymore. It fell to it's hands and knees. It was staring at the ground and panting, it's eyes still wide from the pain. It then raise it's head to the sky and gave it's loudest roar yet, scaring Pidgey and Starly from nearby trees.

"Shouldn't we help it?"

I turned to Karyme and saw she had tears in her eyes. "No. Not yet," I said turning back to look at the Charizard, "We need to wait till it's unconscious. If we go out there now, it'll just kill us too. What I need you to do is go notify the police in Canalave. Bring them here. Tell them there is an injured Charizard and poachers. I'll do my best to try to patch it up in the meantime."

Karyme dashed off. I watched as the tranquilizer started to have it's effect on the Charizard. It lowered it's head to the ground and closed it's eyes. _Ok, now! _I came out from the trees and cautiously crept up to the Charizard. It was breathing heavily and it didn't move when I reached out and touched it's back. _Ok, it's unconscious. _I pulled out my medical kit and started pulling out bandages, gauze and potions. _First I need to get those darts out. _I reached up to the one on it's neck and yanked it out. The moment it was out, Charizard's eyes snapped open. When it saw me kneeling next to it, it started thrashing around again. I wrapped my arms around it's neck and gripped it tightly, as it writhed and squirmed.

"It's ok! I'm here to help, not hurt," I said. It slowly stopped it's thrashing and stared at me.

"Liar!", It said to me in a strong voice, "The only thing that humans do, is bring pain to pokemon. How are you any different?"

"Not all humans are mean. Only the humans that attacked you are evil. They catch pokemon and sell them for money. I don't do that. All I want to do is help you." It still stared at me unconvinced. "Look, if I do anything that hurts, I'll stop right away." He stared at me a little longer then said, quietly, "Ok." I continued with my work and bandaged up the slashes. Some of them looked really nasty and I didn't have the right medicine for it.

"Hmmm... Some of your cuts look pretty bad. You should let Nurse Joy take a look at them."

"Is she an evil human?"

"No. She helps injured pokemon. She'll take care of you." We heard sirens approaching, "Here they come now." The Charizard looked around at the noise. "I'm trusting you, human. But be warned, if you bring me to these 'poachers', I will never rest until I have hunted you down."

"You have my word that wou'll be safe." A couple of police cars came through the trees and stopped in front of us. Karyme got out of the first car and ran up to me. She nuzzled my cheek passionately and sat down next to me. Officer Jenny got out of the first car and walked up to me with Nurse Joy right behind her.

"Where are the poachers?", she asked.

"They ran off that way," I said pointing in the direction they retreated.

"What happened to these men?", Officer Jenny asked, indicating the three bodies on the ground.

"It wasn't Charizard's fault-," I started.

"That's a dangerous pokemon! It needs to be restrained!" Two officers came up next to the Charizard, on either side with thick chains in their hands. The Charizard gave a warning growl and they immediately backed off. The Charizard turned it's head and looked at me threateningly.

"No, don't do that. You're scaring him. "It wasn't his fault."

"So, you're saying that this Charizard 'accidently' killed three people and we're supposed to just let him go?"

"Hold on. Just hear me out. There were eight poachers. Four of them had ropes tied to him and the other four all had guns pointing at him. They shot two tranquilizer darts at him," I said, holding up the tranquilizer darts so Jenny could see, "Then they pulled out real guns and started firing at him, see?", I walked up to the Charizard and held up his outstretched wing so she could se the bullet holes. "If he didn't defend himself, they would have surely killed him."

She thought this over for a minute then said, "Fine. Let's just help this Charizard. I'll leave you with Nurse Joy. I'm going to chase after those poachers. Corporal!"

"Yes, ma'am?", said an officer walking up behind her.

"Form up your squad and follow my lead."

"Officer Jenny got in her car and took off after the poachers, with the others following her. She left one car for Nurse Joy, so she could get back faster. As soon as Officer Jenny left, Nurse Joy came up to the Charizard with white gloves on her hands.

"Ok. Let's have a look here." Charizard tensed up as she neared.

"Don't worry, Charizard. She's gonna help you." Nurse Joy's hands moved over his body, identifying wounds, and examining other abrasions. After a couple minutes, she finally said, "I can't do much for him here. I need to get him back to the Pokemon Center. I need to get back there anyways. I've left dear, old Chansey in charge." She pulled out a medical pokeball. These were pokeballs, but a bit different. They were solid white, with a red cross on the top. They functioned differently too. They captured the pokemon, so they can't escape. Almost like a Master Ball, but the catch was that, they could only stay in there for four hours at the most before they are able to escape again. They also didn't bind the pokemon to the ball. Basically, it was just a mode of transportation for an injured pokemon. "I'm going to need to put you in here. It's only for transportation. It won't hurt." Before he could even give an answer, she touched the ball to him and he dissapeared in a flash of red light.

"We need to get him there quickly. I'm surprised he was still conscious in his state." Nurse Joy got in the car and took off, back to town. _Could have given us a ride_. I watched as the car sped off. Karyme and I walked back through the forest and into Canalave. The first place we went, was the Pokemon Center to see how the Charizard was doing. The second we walked in, we nearly collided with a flustered looking Nurse Joy.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!", she said.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"The moment we let out Charizard, he went beserk and started attacking anyone and anything he saw. Could you calm him down for us so we can treat him? He seems very calm around you."

"I could give it a try. Where is he?"

"Room eleven. Just make sure to close the door after you. We don't want him running loose."

"Got it. Karyme wait here, ok?"

"Ok, Alex," she said with tears still in her eyes.

I walked down the hallway to room eleven and opened the door. The room was a mess. Nearly everything was destroyed. The walls had cracks and deep gouge marks in them. Plaster and other rubble littered the floor. The bed along th right wall, was demolished. The mattress was ripped in half and the sheets hung limply of the side, in shreds. Dust was hanging in the air, as thick as a cloud of fog. Charizard was up against the back wall, clawing at it, trying to make a hole big enough to escape. The moment he heard the door open, he spun his head around to stare at me.

"You!", he said once I closed the door. "You gave me your word that you wouldn't lead me to these poachers!"

"And I didn't," I said, sitting down on what was left of the bed, "These people are trying to help you. They have no interest and nothing to gain by harming you. Once you are all healed, you will be free, free to do whatever you please."

"Then why are they harming me with their needles and liquids?"

"That's just medicine. It may hurt a little at first, but later, it will make you feel much better."

He was quiet for a little while, then he said, "Why did you help me back there, in the forest?"

"Because you were hurt. I couldn't just leave you there to die or worse, get captured by those poachers."

"But, why didn't you capture me? It would have been so easy for you. I was weak, defenseless."

"I don't like to force pokemon to do anything against their wishes. I put myself in their situation. I wouldn't like to be a slave and have to follow orders from someone that I despised. I let pokemon do whatever they want."

He thought my words over for a minute, then said, "You are very different from most humans. I always thought of humans as evil beings that use pokemon to their advantage. Any other human would have captured me right there. But you didn't. You showed me respect. Like I was better than you. I never really say this about anyone, unless I really mean it, but you are purehearted. You have a heart of gold. Your Houndoom must be very lucky to be with you, and I'm very lucky to have met you."

"I think I am pretty lucky to have met you too. So, do you trust me enough that I can leave you with the nurses?"

"All right then."

I walked out of the room and back to the lobby. Karyme was lying on one of the waiting benches with her head on her paws. I looked over at Nurse joy and nodded, indicating it was all safe for her. She and a couple of Chansey rushed off down the hall. Karyme raised her head and watched as I walked over to her.

"Is he all right?"

"He'll be fine," I said as Karyme put her paws in my lap and put her head down again. We waited for about an hour, when the Charizard finally came out of the room. He didn't have any bandages and all of his scars were gone. The only physical evidence from his encounter with the poachers, were the bullet holes in his wings. He came over to me with Nurse Joy following.

"He should be fine. He may be a little emotionally traumatized, but it's nothing much. Have a nice day now!" The Charizard turned to look at Nurse Joy.

"I am sorry for the damage I caused."

"Oh, that's all right. It's understandable. You just take care of yourself now." Nurse Joy turned and walked back to her desk.

"I never did get your name," I said to the Charizard.

"My name? My name is Drake. What is yours?"

"Alex." He stared at me for a couple of seconds, then I said, "Well, Karyme and I gotta get going. See you around Drake."

"It was nice to meet you," Karyme said after jumping down from the bench. We turned to the door and started to leave.

"Alex, wait." We stopped and looked back at Drake. "I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted and the things I said in the forest and in the room. I didn't mean it."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine." We started to leave again.

"Alex." We turned around again.

"I wanted to ask, if it's not too much trouble, I don't want to be a bother, if it's all right with you-."

"Spit it out," I said eagerly.

The Charizard was twisting his hands nervously. He took in a deep breath then said really fast, "Could I come with you two?"

"Sure. If you want to. There's just one thing I need you to do."

"What is it?"

"I need you to have your own pokeball. You don't have to stay in it. It's just so no one else can capture you." I pulled a pokeball out of my backpack and held it in my outstretched hand. He looked at it, then back at me.

"Don't worry, it's ok. You can come right back out if you want to." He looked back at the pokeball and slowly leaned forward, touching his nose to the button. There was a flash of light, and he dissapeared inside. The ball gave a "ding" and Drake reappeared in a flash of white light. Drake smiled down at me and I smiled back up at him. The three of us headed out of the door and into the sunlight.

"Is there anything you need to do before we leave? Any friends or family you need to say goodbye to?"

"I have no family. My earliest recollection, is when I was a Charmander. I lived with a Vaporeon pack. I never knew my father or mother. I felt left out. An outcast. I was a fire type in a water type environment." He stopped walking and sat down on a bench. Karyme and I sat down next to him. "The other Eevee and Vaporeon would laugh and make fun of me because I couldn't swim. They would always go off hunting and leave me behind with the younglings and pack mothers." He paused and looked at the ground. His face twisted into a hurtful expression. "They would scold me for not being able to light a fire. They called me a disgrace to all fire pokemon. Well, with no real mother around, she couldn't teach me how to use an Ember attack. All Charizard teach their young everything. Eventually, I decided to try and teach myself how. I started off with only sparks and learned how to use an Ember attack about a week later. I was so proud of myself that I evolved into a Charmeleon. Alpha Sadi... he-," Drake bowed his head as the terrible memories washed over him. His face showed pain in it's worst form. Pain from within his heart, his very soul. This pain could not be healed with bandages or medicines. This wound must heal by itself. If not, it could kill him from the inside.

"If you don't want to talk about it then don't."

"No, no. It's fine. If it's all right with you, I need to let this out." Drake was twisting his hands again. He took a deep breath and continued on. "Alpha Sadi. He came for me while I was asleep." Drake leaned back on the bench and stared up at the sky. "I remember it so clearly..."

FLASHBACK

A Charmeleon was sleeping on the floor of a small cave. The only light came from the tip of it's tail and a small crack in the ceiling, letting in a single ray of moonlight. The floor was made up of mud and a few patches of grass. The Charmeleon was curled up on the biggest patch in the cave, right in the middle. He looked young. About six or seven years old. His tail was curled right up to his face, the flame bathing his face in flickering light, illuminating his features. His face was as smooth as glass. He had some specks of mud on his muzzle, as well as some blood from his dinner. His nose twitched as a mosquito landed on it and he reached up to scratch it in his sleep, with a single claw. All was quiet, until there was a noise at the entrance of the cave. A shadowy figure walked inside. The Charmeleon, hearing the disturbance, raised it's head to look at the intruder.

"Who's this now? Declare yourself!", the Charmeleon said. The figure didn't answer. Instead, it walked into the ray of moonlight, letting it light up his face. It was Alpha Sadi. The Alpha male of the Vaporeon pack. He looked like any other Vaporeon except, he was bigger and he was a dark blue color, instead of the usual blue. "Oh, it's you," the Charmeleon said stiffly, lowering it's head back to the ground, "What do you want?"

"I want to talk, young Charmander," said Sadi in a deep voice.

"Why must you insist on calling me Charmander? Can you not see my newly evoloved form?"

"You did not deserve to evolve. I don't know why Arceus doesn't end your miserible life. Your powers are weak and feeble."

"My powers far surpass your's, _Alpha," _said the Charmeleon in a voice shaking with rage, as he lifted his head to stare at Sadi.

"We can exchange insults all night, young Charmander, or we can get to the point."

"Then speak quickly and let's be done, so that I may rest," said the Charmeleon, as it lowered it's head back to the ground and closed it's eyes.

The Charmeleon, with it's eyes closed, didn't see Sadi swish his long tail around, and swing it down at him. Sadi's tail hit Charmeleon in the side and launched him into the cave wall. He let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground, flat on his face. Charmeleon raised it's head, gritting his teeth in pain. He was met with another hard swing of Sadi's tail, this time to the side of the head. The force of the swing rolled him onto his back and he expelled a cry of pain along with some blood. Charmeleon growled and retaliated by swinging his fist at Sadi, connecting with his jaw. Sadi jumped backwards and spit some blood out of his mouth, dropping into a fighting stance.

"Do not fight me, young Charmander. You cannot hope to win!"

"Oh, but I've been waiting for this moment ever since I had the pleasure of meeting you. This is going to be fun. I will destroy you old man!"

"Have it your way. You will die painfully."

The Vaporeon let loose a Hydro Pump at the Charmeleon. He easily dodged it and countered with an ember attack. It hit Sadi in the face, but he might as well have throw a pebble for all the damage it did. He tried another one. Nothing. He kept shooting ember after ember at the Vaporeon. Sadi laughed evily at the Charmeleon's fruitless attempts to harm him. Charmeleon jumped at Sadi and slashed his mid-section with his sharp claws. Sadi grunted in pain and bit the Charmeleon on the neck, latching on with his sharp teeth. The Charmeleon cried out and tried to throw him off. It was no use. The more he tossed and turned, the harder Sadi bit down. The Charmeleon slammed Sadi against the side of the wall. He loosened his grip and Charmeleon slammed Sadi again making him realease the Charmeleon. The Charmeleon quickly countered with a swipe of his tail before Sadi could do anything else. He sent Sadi flying across to the other side of the cave. He landed in a heap on the floor and slowly pushed himself to his feet. The Charmeleon stared at the Vaporeon. Blood was running down his chest from the bite on his neck. He ignored it, making sure Sadi wouldn't do anything else. He was in much better shape than Sadi at least. Sadi was panting heavily and his legs were shaking as they tried to support him.

"Forfeit now, before I kill you," the Charmeleon said.

"Never!", Sadi yelled. He let loose another powerful Hydro Pump attack. The Charmeleon was hit squarely in his chest. Sadi kept up the pressure, until the Charmeleon collapsed to the ground. Charmeleon's vision was blurring in and out of focus, as he layed on the ground. Sadi walked up to him and slammed his paw down on the Charmeleon's throat, making him gag and sputter.

"Is that the best you got? I thought you were here to impress me?", the Charmeleon managed to spit out.

"Silence!", Sadi said. He slashed the side of Charmeleon's face, leaving three deep gouge marks, each parallel to each other. "You have lost, yet you continue to mock and joke. Have you no pride? No dignity?"

"Sorry. I misplaced that a long time ago. Then again how could I have had any, when I live in this hellhole?"

"This ends now." Sadi placed his other paw near the end of the Charmeleon's tail to hold it down. He turned his head to look at the guttering flame on the tip of it. Sadi shot a strong water gun at it, extinguishing the small flame. There was a hiss and all that was left was a few wisps of steam and smoke. Charmeleon passed out when he felt the cool water on his tail. Without the light from the flame, the cave went dim. It was still light enough however, to make out an evil smile on the Vaporeon's face.

END FLASHBACK

Drake looked back down at me.

"I still have the marks from Sadi," he said turning his head so I could see. He moved his clawed fingers over three identical, parallel crevices. If I didn't know what they were, I would have thought they were cracks in his skin.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you still alive? Wouldn't a Charmeleon die if it's tail flame went out?", I asked. I glanced down at his tail making sure he still had a flame. The tip of his tail was blazing merrily with a strong flame. I looked back up at his face just in time to see him answer.

"Yes. A normal Charmander, or any of it's evolved forms, would die, should it's flame go out. But my will to live overpowered death. I woke up in the cave a few hours later. I summoned up all of my energy that I had and tried my best to make the best Ember attack I could, to re-ignite my tail. I instead produced a Flamethrower. The flame on my tail lit and energy flowed back into me. I fled for my life into the forest." I noticed that Karyme was resting her head on my shoulder and tears were slowly leaking out of her eyes. "But the important thing is that I'm alive now and we aren't getting anywhere reliving memories."

"You're absolutely right. Now, are you sure there's nothing you need to do before we leave?"

"I am finished with this place. The only reason I am here, is because this was the farthest i could go to escape Sadi and his pack."

"Ok then. I wanted to go to Iron Island. It's a good sight seeing place and I think it'll be fun. What do you think?"

"That sounds like fun!", said Karyme.

"All right," Drake replied.

"Cool," I said, "There's a guy that rents out boat rides, somewhere around here. I saw it on a map in the Pokemon Center."

"Or, we could just fly there," Drake said spreading his wings.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot we could fly," I said excitedly. My heart dropped when I saw the bullet holes in his wings. I remembered he was badly injured only an hour ago. "Are you up for it though? Taking a boat would be much easier."

"Yes, but easier always takes longer. We can fly. Besides, I've been through much worse."

"If you're sure," I said. I turned to Karyme and said, "Karyme? You might have to go into your pokeball for the trip."

"That's fine, Alex. Just let me out as soon as we land."

"First thing," I said, pulling out her pokeball and returning her. Drake turned around so that his back was facing me. He turned his head around and looked at me with one eye, as a gesture to get on.

"So, how's this going to work?"

"I have no idea. I've never carried anyone on my back before, but I am sure it can be done. Just sit somewhere you feel comfortable." I crawled up onto Drake's back and shifted around, until I was secure. It was hard to find a good spot. Everywhere I sat, I felt like I was going to fall off. I finally put my knees just above his wing joint and placed my hands at the base of his neck, in the back. Drake turned his head around and stared at me with one eye again.

"Are you ready?", he asked.

"Yeah. Let's go!"

And with that, Drake turned himself around to face the harbor and open sea, with me still on his back. He expanded his wings and with one beat of them, we were soaring up and away from the ground. We flew over the city, higher than even the tallest buildings. I laughed as I looked down and saw all of the cars and people on the ground. _Flying was amazing! _We flew over the harbor and then out over the sea. There were a couple of people out in the water, as we flew over them. Some people were riding jet skis around, chasing each other with them. A couple of people were getting towed by boats on waterskis, wakeboards, tubes, kneeboards, and anything else imaginable. The rest of the people were swimming around, splashing, laughing and having a good time. Most of them pointed and gawked at us, as we flew over thier heads.

After about another half hour of flying the island came into view. It wasn't a very big island in diameter, but it had some pretty steep mountains and cliffs. Even the best mountain climbers had trouble scaling them. Drake flew to one of the larger forested areas and we touched down lightly. I let Karyme out of her pokeball like I promised and we progressed to set up camp. I didn't feel like doing it later in the dark. I was hammering the last stake of the tent into the ground, when I heard it. Someone, or something, screamed. I jumped to my feet and looked around. Karyme, who was inside the tent, poked her head out too. Drake froze in the process of collecting wood, and turned his head to look at me for directions. Then we heard it again. This one however, was unlike any scream I had ever heard before. It was the most chilling sound ever. It made me shiver slightly and goosebumps erupted all over my body. The first scream, I identified as a scream of terror. The second one was no scream of terror. I looked over at Karyme and Drake. They both nodded and the three of us crashed off through the trees, towards the source of the noise. We came out of the trees and stood in front of a steep rock face. Down at the bottom, a horrible scene met our eyes. A-

And now for the three words everyone despises...

**...TO BE CONTINUED...**

**End Notes: **Oooooo. I'm evil huh? What a cliffhanger! So Karyme and Alex picked up Drake. lol Let me know what you think of him. I love feedback. It helps me write a lot better. So next chapter, Alex might be meeting somebody else. But who? Wait and find out. I'm sorry everyone! I know I promised a lemon by this chapter, but don't you worry. Next chapter there will be a lemon... I think. Also if anybody wants to use any of my characters in their fic, send me a message and I'd more than happy to lend them to you. I'm going to be out of town this weekend, so next chapter may take a little while to update. See ya later! **Please comment on this chapter. Comments and flames accepted. I love getting comments and feedback from my readers. Send suggestions on how I can improve my story or just comment if you liked it. However if you completely depised it, send death threats to me via PM's. Lol.**


	6. Heart of Gold Part 2: Karyme's Secret

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 6:**** Heart of Gold Part 2: Karyme's Secret**

**Notes: ** Wow, this chapter came out fast! I just wanted to start off by thanking all of my readers and reviwers for supporting me (feel like I'm making a speech here!) So thanks to GYY, Felix the Eeveetrainer, Darkwingthedeep, Fan Boy 101, tails blackheart, guard of the twilight, Wolf Lunerfang, Pokeshipper247, Moodyangel627, wolvesatyourdoor, SnappytheCroconaw, and The Great Valley Guardian! Thanks! Now for some chapter notes. WARNING! Lemon in this chapter near the end! For all of you who don't like lemons, (can't believe how you can't) I'll mark it with a couple of squiglies, so you'll know. As always, I own Alex, Karyme, Jade, Malak, and Drake. Anyone may use them in their fic, as long as you ask me first. Last but not least, please, please, please read the end notes after this chapter. I have a couple of important announcements! If you don't wanna read the whole thing, then I'll just highlight the important thing. Ok, enough of my babbling. Here's what you all came for, the next chapter!

..The three of us crashed off through the trees, towards the source of the noise. We came out of the trees and stood in front of a steep rock face. Down at the bottom, a horrible scene met our eyes...

A pokemon was lying on a bed of jagged rocks. I moved in and on closer investigation, I saw it was a Lucario. It was lying on it's side on the jagged rocks. It's arms and legs were sprawled out in front of it. Blood was slowly seeping out of numerous wounds across it's body. I scanned over it's body, to see if any of the wounds were serious. I saw that it's hip was dislocated from the position it was in. Then I looked down to it's stomach area, and what I saw there nearly made me sick. A long thin rock was poking into it's side. The blood was oozing out and painting the rocks a deep red color. The Lucario had it's eyes closed and it's breathing was very fast and shallow. One of it's legs started to twitch violently as I thought about what to do next. _Shit. I recongnized the symptoms. It was going into shock._

"Ok," I said, "We need to act fast. Drake, I need your help."

"What do you need me to do," said Drake as he stepped next to me.

"Help me lift it up, and then we're going to set it on the ground." Drake walked up beside the Lucario and gently slid his hands underneath it's head and upper back. I slid my hands under it's lower back and legs.

"Ready?", I asked.

"Yes."

"Ok. One, two, three!"

Oh three we both lifted the Lucario up. The rock in it's side splintered and cracked at the base. It broke off leaving the rock still stuck in the Lucario's side. We both carried the Lucario away from the cliff and set it down on it's side, so that the wound with the rock in it, was facing up. The Lucario opened it's eyes and looked around at all of us, moving from each of us to another.

"What's going on? What are you doing? Please! Don't hurt me! I beg of you!", it said in a feminine voice. It was a female Lucario.

"It's ok. We're here to help you. Try to stay calm." She was gasping for air and her eyes were wide with fear. If anything, she was getting less calm by the second.

"Karyme, can you keep her calm for me?" Karyme sat down next to her and placed a paw on her shoulder. She spoke soft, calming words to her while I pulled out numerous potions and bandages out of my backpack and set to work. I sprayed potion over her body and watched as her wounds melted back into skin underneath her fur. The deeper slashes and cuts, I had to bandage up. I needed a Hyper potion for that and all I had were regular potions. After I was all done with the minor wounds, I turned my attention to the rock sticking out of her side. Really, I didn't know how I was going to do this.

"Ok. This may hurt a bit, but I need to get this rock out."

"A-All r-right."

"I'll count to three. One," I put my hands around the rock, "two," the Lucario closed her eyes, "three!" I yanked hard on the rock and was able to pull it out. The Lucario arched her head back and screamed in pain towards the sky overhead, as she felt the rock grinding against her flesh. It was the same scream as before. It chilled me and made me shiver. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. I felt sorry for her, being in so much pain. Her screams eventually died down into soft whimpers. The moment the rock was out, I sprayed a potion and wrapped fresh bandages around it. The last thing, was her dislocated leg. I'd have to pop it back into it's socket.

"Drake. I need your help again."

"What do I need to do?"

"I need you to hold her, so she won't move." He walked to the other side of the Lucario and placed his hands on her hip and shoulder.

"I'm just going to fix your leg. I'm not going to lie. This will hurt."

"Ok. I'm ready," she said. She rested her head back on the ground and gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the pain.

"I'm going to count to three again."

"No. Just do it," she said firmly.

I put my hands on her hip and thigh. I gave her a few more seconds and then I pushed hard against her leg. There was a loud pop and it was done. She let out a muffled cry of pain through her gritted teeth. She let her limbs go limp and she started panting again.

"Now you just need rest," I said standing up, "If you want, you can use our tent. You can rest there until you're all better."

"Thank you. I will." The Lucario rolled onto her hands and knees and pushed herself up onto her hind legs. She winced and pain and started to fall backwards. I made a move to catch her, but Drake was already there. "Got you," he said as he picked her up in his arms.

"Thank you. Drake, was it?", the Lucario said smiling warmly up at him.

When we got back to the tent, I set down my backpack at the base of a tree. Drake carried the Lucario into the tent and set her down. She fell asleep while we were walking back to camp. She was still sleeping as Drake laid her down on the ground.

"I'm going to go down to the river to see if I can wash myself up," I said indicating my hands, which still had the Lucario's blood on them.

"Ok. I'll stay with her incase she needs anything," Drake said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the tent. Drake went back into the tent and Karyme and I headed for the river. After about ten minutes of walking, we heard the rushing of water. We came out of the trees and saw another steep cliff. Water was cascading over the edge to the ground below. The water collected in a pool and then was swept downstream, towards the ocean.

"Oh, this is so beautiful," exclaimed Karyme, as she watched the briliant jets of water flowing over the edge of the cliff. I knelt down and washed off my hands, and face. Karyme bent down to the water, beside me and lapped up some water with her tongue. _Oh, why not have some fun?"_

"Hey Karyme!", she looked over to me with a curious expression on her face, water dripping from her muzzle. "Think fast!" I scooped up some water and splashed it in her face.

"Hey!", she said in surprise, recoiling and shaking her head to get the water off. She put a paw in the water and splashed me back, hitting my shirt and soaking it.

"Oh, not my good shirt!", I said. I pulled off my shirt and tossed it on the ground next to me. I lunged at Karyme, grabbing her around the middle. We both toppled over and fell into the water. Both underwater, we wrestled around for dominance. Karyme won easily, so I submitted. She pulled me close and kissed me deeply. After a couple of seconds, we ran out of air, so we both floated back to the surface.

"That was fun," I said leaning against a rock.

"Who says we're done yet?", Karyme said, looking at me mischievously.

"Huh?", I said confused. Karyme pounced on me and pulled us both under again. She kissed me again, pushing her tongue into my mouth. I kissed her back with a fiery passion, moving my hands up and down her back and pulling her even closer to me. She coiled her tongue around around mine and massaged it lightly. We embraced each other as the water swirled around us. Karyme was pushing her paw through my hair and I still caressed her soft back. We broke apart again and came up for some air. I leaned my back up against a rock and looked up at the sky. The sun had already set, but you could still see a yellowish glow along with some stars here and there. Karyme swam over to me. She rested her head on my bare chest along with a paw.

"This is so romantic, Alex," said Karyme as she stared at the falling water. It fell into the water below, sending sparkling droplets of water flying through the air.

"Yeah. You said it," I said, wrapping an arm around her and squeezing gently. We lied there in the water for a long time. So long, that the yellowish glow in the sky disappeared and was replaced by a black, velvety blanket of darkness. It was lit up by the cresent moon floating overhead and all of the stars surrounding it. A couple of Remoraid started nibbling on our toes, making Karyme giggle as she tried to shoo them away.

"Is somebody ticklish?", I said mockingly. I gave her a poke in the side as a test. She jumped when I touched her and started giggling even more.

"Ah! Alex!", she exclaimed, scooting away from me slightly. We both swam around the small area of water, as I pursued after her. I eventually trapped her in between two rocks and I continued my tickling. She started laughing hysterically. "Alex...Ah...Not there!", she said as I tickled her stomach area. I tickled her all over her. I didn't even have to move my hands around her body. She was jumping everywhere. I got her in the side again and she jumped up again. She scooted backwards, away from me and my hand fell in between her hind legs. I felt a fold of skin and a small opening. I quickly withdrew my hand.

"Woah! Sorry Karyme. I didn't me to.." We stared awkwardly at each other for a few seconds. I blushed a bit in an embarassed way. _Karyme... Karyme had a strange expression on her face that I didn't recongnize. I just couldn't tell what it was. It definitely wasn't angry, surprised, sad or happy. It didn't look like any expression I had ever seen before._

"Umm, maybe we should head back," I said climbing out of the water. Karyme was staring at the waterfall again. She seemed to be entranced by it.

"You coming, Karyme?" Karyme jumped again and turned around to face me.

"Oh, sorry Alex," she said jumping out of the water. She did that crazy shaking thing that dogs do to rid their fur of water. We walked back to camp in silence. Karyme still had that unfamiliar expression on her face and she kept darting looks up at me.

"Hey, I'm going to change into some drier clothes," I said to Karyme when we arrived at camp.

"All right. I'm going to see how the Lucario is doing," Karyme said heading over to the tent and disappearing inside. I grabbed my backpack and pulled out some fresh clothes. I thought about what happened at the waterfall. _I didn't mean to touch her...area. I hope she understood it was an accident. But what was the expression on her face? Was it dissapointment? Was she dissapointed that I would do something like that? I don't think she knows what it feels like to be touched there. _I hung up my shirt, pants and boxers on a low hanging tree branch to dry. _No. She knows what it feels like. She had a mate and they had two pups, hadn't they?. If it wasn't dissapointment, then what was it? Fear? Was she afraid of me now? Did she think I would rape her while she sleeps? _I slipped the clean shirt over my head and pulled on the new pants. _It was only an accident! _My thoughts were cut short by Drake's voice.

"Hey Alex!", he said. I turned around and saw Drake walking towards me and beside him was the Lucario. She was walking by herself, but she had a slight limp.

"What's up Drake?"

"Just wanted you to meet Luna. Luna, Alex. Alex, Luna."

"Hello Alex. I didn't thank you properly for helping me this afternoon."

"No problem. It was the right thing to do. Besides, at least you were much calmer than Drake here," I said giving him a playful punch on the arm.

"Hey!," said Drake smiling, "I had my suspicions, all right."

"Drake told me about how you helped him out too. So you've saved me and Drake so far. Did you save Karyme too?"

"Actually it was the other way around. She saved me." I remembered back to when I first woke up and saw her. Then I remembered the reason she saved me. Malak.

"Are you all right Alex?", Luna asked.

"Yeah, you look really out of it," Drake added.

"No I'm fine," I said quickly. Too quickly. It gave me away.

"Something's bothering you. I can tell," said Luna. "Your aura is disturbed."

"Must be getting a cold or something," I replied. Luna closed her eyes and she started glowing a soft blue color. After a couple of seconds she said, "You had a Pikachu." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Your aura shows a lot. Where you are, your emotions, your physical and mental condition, and sometimes what you're thinking, if you have a weak mind. Did you want to talk about your Pikachu at all?"

I paused for a minute then said, "No. I don't think I'm ready yet. Maybe someday, but not today."

"That's fine, Alex. Yes, someday."

"But that's amazing about how you can do all of that with aura!" I said this really to get off of the subject of Jade.

"Yeah, I never knew that much about aura," said Drake.

"Anybody want dinner?", I said clapping my hands together.

After dinner, we decided it was time to turn in for the night. Karyme, Drake, and Luna headed inside the tent. I stayed outside a little while longer. I put out the fire and packed up all of my stuff back into my backpack. I didn't feel like lingering in the morning. After everything was put away, I opened the flap of the tent and crawled inside. Drake was lying next to Luna on the right side of the tent. Luna was snuggled up next to Drake and Drake had one of his wings over her, to keep her warm. _Drake sure is taking good care of Luna. _Karyme was curled up on the other side of the tent. I crawled up behind Karyme, trying not ot wake her. I layed down and wrapped my arms around her smooth body. I moved my hands up and down her soft, furry stomach. Karyme opened her eyes and turned towards me with a warm smile on her face. She leaned in and gave me a soft kiss.

"Hey, Karyme. Look. I'm really sorry about what happened at the waterfall. It was an accident. I would never-." I was cut off as Karyme gave me another kiss.

"Alex, it's fine. Please, I don't want to worry about it and I don't want you to worry about it either. I don't want this one little thing to force us apart." I could only smile at her.

"I don't want it to force us apart either. That's why I wanted to ask you. I just wanted to make sure you were ok and everything, because I was worried you were uncomfortable.

"No, I'm perfectly fine," Karyme giggled a bit, "Besides, I didn't mind at all."

"Oh, really now?," I said, my smile widening, "Are you sure?" I tickled her in her side again. Karyme jumped and said, "Ah!" She was laughing as I tickled her in different spots. Then, there was a loud grunt and Karyme and I turned to look at the noise. Drake shifted slightly in his sleep and mumbled something about stinky cheese. He turned his head upwards and started to snore a bit. _Great. Now it's going to take me forever to get to sleep. _Karyme turned back to me and giggled again at Drake. She gave me a soft kiss and buried her head in my chest. We both layed there in each other's embrace, until we both drifted off to sleep...

I was awoken some time later by a kiss on my cheek. I slowly opened my eyes just in time to see Karyme disappear through the tent flap. I crawled over to the entrance and looked outside. Karyme was heading towards the dense trees, at a brisk trot. _Now I'll find out what Karyme's been hiding from me._ I slipped out of the tent and followed at a fast walk. I kept Karyme in my sight the whole way. Not too close that she would hear me, yet not to far that I would lose her. The trees started to get denser the farther we walked and I was only able to catch glimpses of her._ Shit. I'm gonna lose her! I can't see squat! _(funny word, huh?) Eventually I lost sight of her for good. _Where did she go? I started searching around the area I saw her last. Nothing. She's disappeared._ I turned around and started heading back to the tent._ Oh, well. I'll just try again tomorrow night._ Then I heard it. A whimper. It sounded exactly like the one Karyme made last night. I headed in the direction of the noise. I pushed through a rather large clump of trees and saw Karyme on the ground, with her back against a tree. She had her legs spread and she was pushing her pointy tail in and out of herself. Everytime she would push back in, she would let out a whimper. Some of them were louder than the rest. She had her head arched back with her eyes closed and her teeth gritted in pain. Blood and her juices were running out of her entrance and running down her body. They formed a pool on the ground and mixed together. _So this is where she disappears every night._ Suddenly, a Hoothoot gave a very loud "hoot" right behind me. I jumped in surprise and tripped over a protruding tree root. I fell out of the trees and flat on my face. I lifted my head to look at Karyme. She had a stunned look on her face and we stared at each other for what felt like forever... (AWKWARD!!) Karyme blushed and flipped onto her stomach. I got up and walked over to her. I sat down beside her and put an arm around her.

"You must think I'm some kind of freak," she said, covering her muzzle with her paws.

"Karyme, I will never think any less of you. No matter what you do."

"But I feel so, so...dirty. Ever since my old mate left me for that bitch. Sorry about my language."

"I don't mind. Go on."

"Well, ever since he left me, I've had this growing need. My body needed him, but he wasn't there to relieve my needs. I not only needed him, but I wanted him. I'd cry myself to sleep every night. I had nightmares about the moment he said he was leaving...

FLASHBACK

A lone Houndoom was running through the trees. It was nightime. The moon shone down on it, making it's fur shine. It carried a dead Buneary in it's mouth. The moon was a symbol for Houndoom. It gave them strength. That's probably why you hardly see them out during the day. Night belonged to the Houndoom. The Houndoom ran across a river and then out across an open plain, never stopping once. It ran for hours until it finally slowed down a bit. This paticular Houndoom was a male. He was long and lean and had the most perfect face. Any female would kill to be with him. His muzzle was long and his eyes were a soft shade of blue. Some females melted in his gaze and went crazy for him. They all said that he should take over as alpha male. Normally, Houndoom fight for dominance over the pack. But he was too modest. He didn't want to be alpha. He slowed down to a trot as he entered his pack's territory. Some of the females without mates came out of their dens to greet him. They flirted with him, calling out his name. He chuckled softly to hisself. _The never quit, do they?_ He gave them all nods, trying to be polite and continued on to his den. He crouched down and walked inside the little dugout den. It was just as he left it at dusk. His love, Karyme was lying on the floor on the far side of the den. Two pups were suckling on her breasts eagerly. They were both about a month old and still didn't have there black fur yet.

"I was getting worried, Kain," said Karyme with a smile as he put down the Buneary in front of her and they nuzzled affectionately.

"Don't worry, my love. I will always return for you," said Kain as he layed down in front of her and licked her neck. Karyme put her paw over his paw and put her head down on his soft fur. "Did anything happen since I left?"

"Well, if you count Jason trying to crawl away from me, then yeah."

"He's becoming so independent, this little one," said Kain patting Jason on his back lightly.

"Oh, and Krystal is so jealous of me it's ridiculous! She offered me a piece of meat today that looked like it was killed two months ago. She's trying to poison me!"

"I will have a talk with her to see what's going on," said Kain firmly. "She's gone too far this time."

Just then another Houndoom came into the den with a serious look on her face.

"Kain, I. Oh," she said when she saw Kain licking Karyme on the neck. "I hope I'm not interupting anything."

"No, no. What do you need, Lily?", Kain said turning to look at the Houndoom.

"There's another Houndoom that just stumbled into camp. She's badly hurt and needs help. Could you help us?"

"I will be right there," said Kain. The other Houndoom took off out of the den. "Karyme, I'll be back shortly," he said standing up.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Karyme. Kain gave Karyme a lick on her muzzle and took off after the other Houndoom. He hurried off to a group of Houndoom huddled around in a circle near the entrance of the territory. He pushed through the others to the center. A Houndoom was lying on the ground bleeding profusely. Blood was coming out of a single long gash on her stomach and she was coughing up a bit too. Kain knew the move Moonlight. It was a move that restored health to the user, but Kain learned how to direct it to others. He was kind of like the doctor for the pack. He lifted his head to the moon overhead and closed his eyes, concentrating on the moon's radiating energy. A strong ray of moonlight shone down on the Houndoom. It lifted her up off of the ground and the slash melted away, stopping her bleeding. She lowered back down as she was finished healing. Kain opened his eyes again and his fellow Houndoom cheered. The female Houndoom on the ground got to her feet and nuzzled Kain's neck in thanks.

"Thank you so much," she said. Kain walked her over to the group of dens for guests. He walked her inside and she settled down on the ground. Kain wished her luck and turned to get back to Karyme.

"Oh you're leaving already?", asked the female Houndoom. "Couldn't you keep me company for a little while. I feel so lonely."

"I really must get back to my mate," said Kain. _I could tell this female wasn't different from any of the others. _"She's waiting for me." The Houndoom cried out in pain. She wasn't really in pain. She just wanted him to stay. It fooled Kain. He had a look of concern on his face and he turned back to the Houndoom. "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" The Houndoom smiled and said, "My heart. But you can fix it, can't you?" Kain turned around and started to leave again. She was _exactly_ like the other females. Kain stopped when the Houndoom called him again. "This had better be important. I need to get back to Karyme." Kain turned around again, but when he locked eyes with the Houndoom, he lost all intention of returning to Karyme. The Houndoom had him locked in a stare. An Attract stare. The Houndoom's eyes were a pale shade of pink and Kain's eyes turned the same color. "You don't want to return to Karyme," she said. "I don't want to return to Karyme, " replid Kain in a monotone voice. "You want to spend the rest of your life with me."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," said Kain in the same voice, moving back into the den and sitting next to the Houndoom.

"You are my mate."

"I am your..."

"What are you?"

"Mate."

"That's a good boy. Now give me a kiss." Kain leaned in to her in a robotic way and licked her on her muzzle. The Houndoom smiled in an evil way. Back in her den, Karyme's heart gave a throb. She groaned in pain and looked out of the den. "I hope Kain's okay." She put her head down and went to sleep, comforted by the thought of him returning in the morning.

Light flooded into the den from the early morning sun. Karyme opened her eyes and yawned widely. She turned her head to her left expectanly hoping to see Kain there. The space beside her was empty. She sniffed it. _He didn't even return last night. His scent wasn't there. _Now she was a bit worried. He always comes back during the night, no matter what was going on. She couldn't leave to look for him. She had to watch her pups. They pined for her when she would go outside to urinate. She turned to the two little pups and started grooming them. She looked up when the sunlight was blocked by a figure at the entrance. It was Kain.

"Oh, Kain! I was so worried about you! You didn't come back last night." Kain didn't move. He just stood there staring at her. "Are you okay Kain? What's wrong?" He still didn't move. He just stood there in the entrance. "Please Kain. Stop it. You're scaring me!" Then he spoke in the same montone voice he spoke in last night. "Goodbye Karyme. I'm leaving."

Karyme sat there not moving a muscle. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Kain? What are you talking about? Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving with Sarah. I'm through with you."

"Sarah? Who's Sarah? What's going on? If this is a joke, it's not funny. You're hurting my feelings!", Karyme said tears forming in her eyes.

"This is no joke. I'm leaving for good."

"Kain! No!", Karyme exclaimed as Kain turned around and walked away. Karyme got up and ran out after him. The pups started pining as the warmth left them. Kain was already at the entrance to the pack's territory and nuzzling a female Houndoom. She grinned at Karyme and took off. Kain looked back at Karyme and that's when she saw it. His eyes were glowing pink. She stopped in her tracks and stared at Kain. Kain turned around and chased after the Houndoom. Karyme started crying openly now. She didn't care that the whole pack could see her. She collapsed to the ground sobbing as the other Houndoom, young and old came out of their dens to watch her...

END FLASHBACK

Karyme looked up at the sky.

"My needs slowly subsided when I realized he wasn't coming back." She paused for a minute and looked back down at me. "Then I met you and my body responded to you. It wants you as my mate. Actually, I want you as my mate. The reason I do this every night is because I was too ashamed to ask you to be my mate. I satisfy myself. It hurts because my tail is sharp, but it helps more than it hurts me. If I didn't relieve myself, I'd probably pounce on you because of my want for you."

"Karyme, you should have just told me you felt that way."

"I know, I know. I should have, now that I think about it. But, I thought you would push me away though. I was scared. Scared it would end our relationship." I wrapped my other arm around her and pulled her in close to me. I rubbed my hands over the fur on her neck, feeling the familiar warmness.

"If you ever need to talk to me about anything, just talk to me. I won't push you away."

"Thanks, Alex. I love you," she said. She started nibbling at my neck on a loving way. Then I felt her shiver slightly.

"Umm, Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Feel free to say no, but could you help me out for a second?"

"Help you out? What do you mean?" (I love making Alex so clueless!)

As an answer, Karyme rolled onto her back and spread her legs. She looked up at me expectantly.

"Oh, that's what you mean. Umm, ok. I could try." I kneeled down in front of her. "I've never done this before. What do you want me to do?"

(yay squiglies!!)

Karyme smiled and said, "Here. Let me show you." She grabbed my wrist with her paw and slowly guided it down in between her legs. My finger connected with her folds and she shivered slightly again. She let go of my wrist and let her paw fall to her side. I continued on on my own. I rubbed around her entrance a few times, then slid in a finger. Karyme inhaled sharply when she felt my finger. I slipped in another one and pushed them both deeper into her. Karyme arched her back and shifted slightly. I started to push my fingers in and out of her. I could feel her already starting to get wet. Her juices seeped out of her, making my fingers slide faster. I continued a little faster for about a minute. Then Karyme said, "Wait. Stop." I slid my fingers out of her and she rolled onto her stomach and stood up.

"Is something wrong," I asked her.

"No, that was wonderful, but, I don't know how to say this. What you did, didn't work for me. I need... I need something... bigger." She blushed a little as she said it. Then her eyes flitted down to my crotch area and back to my face.

"Wait, what?" I wasn't exactly sure what she meant. i had a hunch, but I wasn't entirely sure. Her eyes flitted down and back to my face again. Then I understood. "Oh! You mean..." This time, my eyes flitted down.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," Karyme said smiling again. I let my shorts and boxers fall to the ground and my member slid out. Karyme turned her backside to me and moved her tail, revealing herself. She turned around and looked at me. I walked up behind her and positioned myself.

"Are you ready?", I asked.

"Yes."

I slowly pushed the head of my length into her. Karyme gave a soft "Ooo" of pleasure, as she felt me breach her. I pushed in all the way, until I hilted her. I paused for a bit, then I pulled out and thrust back in. Karyme let out a moan of pleasure as she felt me push back in. She was tight around my length. It hightened my pleasure even more. My thrusts sped up as I became even more aroused. Karyme let her front legs give way and she layed on the ground on her chest. It was probably all she could do to keep her hind legs upright. I kept up my speed as I continued. Karyme was moaning nonstop now. "Faster," she managed to get out in between all of her moaning. I obeyed her and moved even faster. I was poundng onto her by now. Karyme gave her loudest moan yet as I felt her walls tighten around me and she released, coating my member with her cum. It was too much for me. I arousal reached it's peak. I gave a few more thrusts and I came into her. Karyme gave another moan as she felt my hot seed inside of her. I stayed like that for about a minute, then I finally pulled out. After I was all the way out, Karyme's hind legs collapsed and she fell to the ground. She was panting and had her eyes closed. I was breathing pretty heavily too. I reached up and pushed my sweaty hair out of my eyes. I pulled on my boxers and shorts again and layed down next to Karyme.

"That was exactly how I imagined it would be like with you," said Karyme.

"You imagine yourself with me?"

Karyme turned to me giggling again. She snuggled up close and we both layed there, gazing up at the stars through the tops of the trees

"This reminds me of our first night together. You acted so weird," said Karyme.

"Yeah, I was afraid of you. I've heard so many bad stories about Houndoom. How they're evil, malicious and blood thirsty."

"Oh now you're describing Malak. All that isn't true of Houndoom. We're misunderstood. I think you get the evil part from the 'doom' part of Houndoom. As for malicious and blood thirsty, we're known as that because of our great fighting skills."

We both laid there another couple of minutes, before we decided to head back to the tent. We walked back through the forest and crawled into the tent 15 minutes later. Karyme curled up on the ground and I crawled up behind her, wrapping my arms around her middle. I lightly caressed her body, rubbing the soft fur on her stomach. It was cold outside, but I was kept warm from the warmness emanating from Karyme's body. I was just about to fall asleep when it hit me like a truck. The expression on Karyme's face at the waterfall. It wasn't disappointment or fear. It was lust...

**Please read end notes!**

**End Notes:** Oooooooo! Looks like Drake has a bit of a crush! I hope I didn't ruin anybody's image of Karyme. That was my first ever lemon! Send me feedback on what you thought was good or bad in this chapter. Like Luna, Karyme's other side, the lemon, how close you think Drake should get to Luna, etc. **I was thinking about the progression of this story and I couldn't decide whether to make it a short story or a long one. It's all in the readers hands now! That means you! Don't you guys feel special? So if you guys are up for it and will bear with me, I'm planning on making a part 2 and maybe even a part 3! If I do make it long, I will surely have many surprises for you. I won't continue writing chapters, until I have enough feedback. So leave a review if you want me to continue!** I forgot to ask this at the end of the last chapter, so I'll ask now. I have some openings for characters in my story. There's not that many though, but I have a few openings for human characters and a lot more for pokemon characters. I already have three people, so hurry up! Note that characters won't travel with Alex or Karyme, they show up sometime in the story though.


	7. I Challenge You!

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 7:**** I Challenge You!**

**Notes: **Phew! Finally was able to finish this one. Sorry it took so long. My computer got messed up with a whole bunch of viruses and it was moving at 2 mph. So I had to format my hard drive and start all over... Lame huh? I also had a small case of writer's block, so I'm trying to conquer that. So this chapter's pretty long, about thirty pages written out on paper and about words. Anyways, it's longer than any chapter I have wrote so far, so I hope you enjoy it! Oh, yeah. I don't own pokemon, only Alex, Jade, Luna, Karyme, Drake, and Malak.

...These damn nightmares...They were back...Worse than ever...They haunted me...Never leaving...Always with me...They haunted me...They were still filled with...Pain...Death...and suffering...They were about the ones I love...Karyme...Jade...They died...over and over again...It never stopped...Always the same...Repeating...Until I was awoken...They'd be running towards me...They would stop...They would be laughing...Happy...Jade was always the first to speak...she would say, "Alex, I love you"...She would laugh and smile...Then someone would slit her throat...She screamed...Her eyes widened in horror...Her screams echoed all around me...I felt her pain too...It ripped through me like a dagger...She would collapse to the floor...Death...Blood was everywhere...Karyme was next...The same thing would happen...She would say, "You're my reason for living now"...She would have her warm smile on her face...I knew what would happen next...I tried to get to her...I had to save her...My legs wouldn't move...I closed my eyes...I couldn't bear to watch it...She screamed...I felt lightheaded...Blood splattered my face...It was warm...There was a rushing noise...

I opened my eyes. _Karyme!_ I turned to my right. _She was there. I don't know what I would have done if she wasn't. _Karyme was staring at me with a worried look on her face.

"Did you have those nightmares again?", Karyme asked. She pushed her paw up against my cheek. _It felt so comforting._

"Yeah, I did."

"What was it about? I always feel better when I tell someone else," she said, putting her head on my chest. _I couldn't tell her. She'd think I'm crazy. I had to lie_.

"It was my mom. She made brussel sprouts for dinner." Karyme laughed. We layed there for another hour as the sun rose. Drake and Luna woke up after about an hour. Luna stretched and yawned, revealing her pointy canine teeth.

"Good morning, Alex," she said once she saw I was awake.

"Morning, Luna. Sleep well?"

"Couldn't have slept better." _Wish I could say the same for myself._ "How are you feeling? Is your leg okay?"

She stretched her injured leg out. She twisted it, stretched her toes and bent her knee. "It feel's great! Thanks again for helping me." I gave her a smile as a "your welcome". Drake gave a wide yawn. He stretched his mouth wide and gave a small roar. (can't really explain it that good. Kind of like how a lion yawns)

"Good morning everyone," Drake said sitting up. "I had the strangest dream. Someone was forcing me to eat stinky cheese." We packed up the tent and got all ready to fly back to Canalave. That's when I remembered Luna didn't have a pokeball.

"Hey Luna!", I called. Luna was sitting next to Drake, chatting. She looked up and walked over to me. "Here. It's your pokeball. That is, if you still want to come with us," I said holding a pokeball out to her and she touched the little button on it without hesitation. She disappeared inside it and the ball gave the familiar "ding." Luna reappeared in a flash of white light.

"Do I have to stay in it for the journey back?", Luna asked.

"Well Drake can't carry both of us."

"He doesn't have to," Luna said smiling. "I'm able to use the move Extremespeed. I use it to run across water."

"Wow! That's amazing," I said. _I've never seen a Lucario that could use that move before._ "Are you ready to go now?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"All right then, let's go." I put Karyme back in her pokeball and I got on Drake's back again. We turned to face the wide ocean and he looked back at Luna. She smiled at him and said, "Try to keep up." She ran back to the forest's edge and turned around to look out over the water. She stood there for a couple seconds, then started running back down the beach. She ran faster and faster, until her legs became blurred. She ran out over the water, kicking up a huge wake behind her as she streaked back towards Canalave.

"Damn," I said my jaw dropping.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Drake replied as he spread his wings and took off after her. We flew out over the water and came up behind Luna. She had her arms flying behind her as she ran. Drake flew lower until he was nearly skimming across the water. We came up beside Luna as she ran. She looked over to both of us beside her, as we stared back astonished. She smiled and let out a laugh that was drowned out by the wind whistling in my ears. She looked forwards again and put on a burst of speed, pulling ahead of us at speeds I thought unimaginable. (Kind of reminds you of Road Runner, huh? BEEP BEEP)

"Oh, so that's how it is? Hold on Alex!" I tightened my grip and Drake beat his wings hard, propelling us forward even faster. _This is insane!_ Canalave was coming up fast. Luna was way ahead of us. She ran past the few boats that were out on the water. We flew over them not long after. Drake slowed down as the beach came into veiw. A lone figure was lying out on the sand. It was Luna. I recognized her blue coat of fur. We descended and landed next to her. She was stretched out on the sand with her arms behind her head and her legs crossed. The moment I slid off of Drake's back, she gave a giant, fake yawn.

"What took you so long?"

"Show off," I replied, laughing at her sarcastic remark. She laughed too. Drake didn't say anything. I don't think he likes getting beat. I let out Karyme and we headed up the beach and back into the city.

"We'll just stop here for a quick rest and then we'll head to Jubilife City." We all headed to the Pokemon Center. I put everyone in their pokeballs and handed them all to Nurse Joy.

"Back so soon? How did you like Iron Island?", asked Nurse Joy, as she put my pokeballs into the healing machine.

"How did you know I went to Iron Island?"

"Only the whole city saw you return. I think it's even on the news." Nurse Joy picked up a remote and switched on a TV above the counter. The Canalave News at noon was on.

"...A boy, his Charizard and his Lucario arrived from Iron Island about ten minutes ago. The local boaters who witnessed this said, it was a spectacular event." The camera switched to a reporter interviewing a couple of people. It switched from person to person.

"I thought I was seeing things, I did."

"Woosh!"

"And I thought Sonic the Hedgehog was called the blue blur. That Lucario would give em' a run for his money."

"All right, now back to you Dave," the reporter said after finishing. I sat down on the same waiting bench as before and watched Nurse Joy while I waited. "...Apparently, there have reports of strange disappearances near Oreburgh Mine..." I looked back up at the TV, a little curious about this story. "...Experts say it's probably just mining accidents, but others say it could be connected to a Mightyena they saw a couple of days before the disappearances began. One lucky Oreburgh resident managed to get this picture of the Mightyena." A picture showed up on the screen. I bolted upright when I saw the picture. It was Malak. I recognized him instantly. His left ear was missing and he had scars all over his body. He was standing on what looked like a pile of boulders. Moonlight was shining down on him, lighting up his slender form. Blood was running the length of his muzzle and neck. He had his teeth bared and his hackles raised. It looked like he was growling at whoever took the picture. "Unfortunately, the Oreburgh resident went missing the day after he took this picture..." A million questions formed in my head as I slumped back against the seat. _How did he get here from Leynoh? Why was there blood on his muzzle? What was he planning on doing here?_ The questions burned around inside if me, when I felt somebody tap my shoulder. I looked up and saw Nurse Joy standing above me. She was smiling down at me and had my three pokeballs in her hands.

"Here are your pokemon," she said cheerily. I stood up and took my pokeballs from her.

"Thanks," I said. I let out Karyme, Drake and Luna.

"Your pokemon have been healed to perfect health. We hope to see you again!" ('We hope to see you again?' Is she hoping that my pokemon get hurt so I have to come here again?) I said thanks again and headed for the door.

"Wait. Alex," Luna said behind me.

"What's up?", I said turning around. Luna was standing in front of a large poster. It showed a very pretty, blonde haired woman with six pokemon standing around her. She was wearing what looked like a cape with dressy pants and high heels. Everything was black, even the fluffy scarf around her neck. She wore a confident smile and was standing in a triumphant pose with her hand on her hip. Around her were a Roserade, a Gastrodon, a Spiritomb, a Milotic, a Lucario, and a Garchomp. Down at the bottom of the poster were big yellow words that said, "Do you want to be a Champion?" It was a poster for the Pokemon League Gym Challenge.

"Who is she?", Luna asked.

"I think that's Cynthia, the Pokemon League Champion."

"How do you become Champion?"

"There's a series of Gyms scattered throughout the Sinnoh region. You have to beat each one to earn yourself a badge. When you have all eight badges, you can challenge the Pokemon League to become the Champion." Luna was staring at the poster with a glint in her eye. "Do you want to challenge a Gym?" She looked excitedly over at me.

"Could we really Alex?"

"Sure we can. If it's okay with everyone else." I looked over at Karyme and Drake as I said this.

"I'm in," said Drake.

"Let's do it," said Karyme.

We headed over to the Gym on the other side of the city. The giant building loomed over us as we looked up at it. I looked over at Drake, Karyme and Luna. They all looked determined and ready. "All right, here we go." We stepped through two sets of sliding glass doors. We were in a sort of lobby area. It was a plain room with an information booth that was empty and a couple of chairs. There was a door straight ahead of us that said "Gym" on it. We headed straight through the doors. We came out under a set of stands and ahead of us was a walkway that lead straight to the Gym floor, cutting right through the stands. I walked forward and stood on the edge of the Gym floor. There were a dozen trainers, with their pokemon, having sparring matches with each other. The Gym Leader, Byron, was walking among the battles pointing out flaws and strengths to the young trainers. He looked like he was getting on in his years. He was wearing a white shirt, gray pants and he had on a black cape. He had a five o'clock shadow on his face and a mop of brown hair that sat atop his head. I didn't really know why, but he was carrying around a shovel in his left hand. When he noticed me standing there he looked over to me. His eyes had a piercing gaze that bore right through me. We locked eyes for a couple of seconds, sizing each other up. He turned his head and called to one of his assistants. He whispered something to him and walked across the Gym to me.

"Are you here for a Gym battle?", he said in a rough voice.

"Yeah, I am. I can come back later if you're in the middle of something," I said, acknowledging the sparring trainers.

"I'm not. I'm sure our battle will help in their training anyways," Byron said, scratching his chin. "I'll give you fifteen minutes, then we'll battle." He turned around and walked to the back of the Gym, entering a small office. The foor of us took up seats in the stands. While we were waiting, we talked over our strategy.

"Ok, so his three pokemon are Steelix, Bastiodon, and Bronzor. All of them are steel types, so Karyme, Drake, you both have an advantage already. Luna, you have an advantage too because his pokemon are big, heavy and slow. You may have to try harder than Drake and Karyme on your attacks, but you should be fine. As long as you keep your speed up, they shouldn't be able to hit you with any attacks. Drake, you're going to be my heavy hitter. If things get rough, I'm sending you out. Karyme, you'll have to be my main attacker. Combine speed with your fire attacks. Just so everybody knows, when you're battling, if you can't fight anymore, just quit. It's not worth getting permanately damaged. He's going to be tough. He's Gym Leader number six. So. Anybody have any questions?"

"I got one," said Drake. "How do you make it sound so simple?"

"Fifteen minutes later, Byron stepped out of the office and looked up to me in the stands. We walked down to the Gym floor and waited. Byron looked over to his assistant and nodded. The asistant blew his whistle and the trainers returned their pokemon.

"Students, Gym Leader Byron and a challenger will be having a match. Everyone needs to clear the floor." The trainers left the floor and nearly all of them found a seat on the stands. They were chatting, laughing and shooting glances at me _Great, an audience._ Byron and I both took up a side of the Gym. The assistant stood on the side, right on the center line.

"This will be a three on three pokemon battle. The victor will be decided by whoever can knock out their opponents pokemon first. The Gym Leader will not be allowed to subsitute pokemon. Challenger, are you ready?"

"Yes!"

"Gym Leader Byron, are you ready?"

"Let's just go, Ivan," Byron said, pulling a pokeball off of his belt.

"Contestants, select your pokemon!" Byron sent out a Bronzong. _Drake should be able to handle this_.

"You're up, Drake!" Drake walked out to the middle, towards the opposing Bronzong. They starred daggers at each other. Drake let out a low grunt and narrowed his eyes intimidatingly. The Bronzong didn't do anything. It just stood there not moving an inch. It was a bit creepy, to tell you the truth. The asistant raised his arms into the air and shouted, "Begin!" The crowd cheered and clapped as Drake spread his wings and flew up to the ceiling, above the Bronzong.

"Ok, Drake! Use Body Slam!" Drake dove down at the Bronzong and crashed into it. It barely budged.

"Brick Break, Bronzong!", Byron shouted. The ends of Bronzong's arms glowed white and it started spinning towards Drake.

"Dodge it and hit it with a Flamethrower!" Drake sidestepped the attack easily and shot a blast of flame at the Bronzong. It engulfed it in flames. "Yeah! You got it!", I yelled.

"Psychic, Bronzong." I looked at the ball of flame that housed Bronzong. I could make out a faint purple in the blazing inferno. The flames dissapated as the Bronzong emerged glowing purple. It shot it's psychic energy at Drake, picking him up. Drake roared in agony as the psychic attack pressured him, pushing in at him from all sides.

"Drake! Leer!" Drake stopped his struggling and turned his face to look at the Bronzong with a look of pure murder on his face. It wasn't really his look, it was just part of the attack. The Bronzong dropped him and backed away. Drake pushed himself back onto his feet.

"Come on now Bronzong! Take Down!", Byron shouted. The Bronzong charged at Drake with amazing speed. Drake was still recovering from the Psychic and was hit with full force. Drake was sent tumbling backwards, rolling and sliding from the force of the impact. The crowd "ooed" as Drake was hit. Drake slowly, but steadily got to his feet. His eyes were wide with anger and he threw back his head letting loose a powerful roar. I recognized this attack. It was Rage.

"Hit it with a Mega Punch with everything you got!" Drake roared again and charged at the Bronzong. He pulled back his fist and punched Bronzong hard, striking him in the middle. There was a giant gong-like sound that echoed throughout the room, emmanating from the Bronzong. It didn't even flinch when Drake hit him.

"Headbutt, Bronzong." Drake looked up at the Bronzong towering over him. It hit Drake with a swift, but hard headbutt. Drake fell to the groung on his back in front of the Bronzong. "Now Body Slam," Byron said. The Bronzong started to fall forward to body slam on Drake.

"Quick Drake! Flamethrower!" Drake shot a Flamethrower out of his jaws that hit the Bronzong point blank. It was blasted backwards away from Drake. They both got to their feet and stared at each other.

"Take Down," Byron said. The Bronzong charged at Drake again.

"Wait for it..., wait for it," I said. The Bronzong was getting closer and closer.

"Hold on, and...Now! Fly over it and use Siesmic Toss!" Drake quickly flew just above it, effectively dodging it. Drake reached down and grabbed it's shoulders. Drake used a Siesmic Toss in midair, using the momentum of the charging Bronzong. Drake did an aerial front flip, taking the Bronzong with him and smashing it face first into the ground. Drake landed next to it and stared at it's motionless form. The assistant waited five seconds and when Bronzong didn't get up, he declared, "Bronzong is unable to battle. The victor of this round is Charizard!" The crowd cheered and clapped as Byron returned his Bronzong.

"Nicely done. You ready for this one?" He put Bronzong's pokeball back on his belt and pulled off another one. He threw it into the air and out came a Bastiodon. It stared at Drake out of the small eyes on it's head. It was mostly a black color but there was some yellow here and there on it's body. These were strange pokemon. Their faces are more of shields than faces. It was stronger than a concrete wall and any attack used on a Bastiodon from the front was laughable. It's body, however, was it's weak spot.

"Challenger! Will you switch pokemon?", the assistant called out to me.

"Drake. Do you still want to battle? You look tired." Drake was panting hard as he turned to me.

"Maybe...a quick rest," he said. He walked back to me and sat down with his back against the wall behind me, next to Luna. She hugged him tightly, moving up next to him.

"Challenger! Choose your next pokemon!", the assistant shouted to me from across the Gym.

"I'm going, I'm going," I mumbled to myself. I think Karyme would be good for this. I'll save Luna for Steelix. "Ready Karyme?"

"Yes," she said, trotting out to the middle of the floor. She dropped into a fighting stance and waited for the battle to begin. The assistant raised both of his hands again and shouted, "Begin!"

"Karyme! Use Agility!"

"Use Iron Defense, Bastiodon." Karyme ran circles around the Bastiodon, as Bastiodon's skin hardened and became shiny.

"Get around behind it and use Flamethrower!"

"Quickly, Earthquake Bastiodon." Karyme was just about to shoot a Flamethrower, when the Bastiodon stomped it's foot down on the ground, causing the whole ground and Gym to shake. Karyme was blasted up into the air from the attack and came down hard on her side. I felt a sharp pain shoot through me as I saw Karyme hurt. I felt like I just got hit by a Thunderbolt right through my heart. I almost ran out to her, but leaving the trainer's box means forfeiting the match. The crowd "ooed" and "ohed" as Karyme hit the ground.

"Karyme! Are you okay?"

Karyme slowly got to her feet, grunting in pain. "I'm fine," she said shakily.

"Okay try a Faint Attack." Karyme dissapeared and reapeared seconds later right behind the Bastiodon.

"Look out Bastiodon!"

"Crunch Attack!", I shouted. Karyme jumped on it's back and sank her sharp teeth into the fleshy part of Bastiodon's neck. It roared in pain and started bucking wildly, trying to throw off Karyme, but she hung on firmly. The Bastiodon rolled onto it's back, forcing Karyme to let go to avoid being crushed. This was a bad move for him though, because it's unprotected underside was exposed.

"Finish it with a Fire Blast, Karyme!" Karyme jumped a safe distance away and charged up a strong Fire Blast. The Bastiodon was on it's back, flailing it's stubby legs uselessly. Karyme shot a blast of flame in the shape of a star, at the Bastiodon. It hit him directly, swallowing him up in flames. Karyme circled around it, making sure it didn't lunge out at her. The flames dispersed, revealing the Bastiodon. It was lying on it's side, smoking slightly and breathing heavily.

"Bastiodon is unable to battle. The victor of this round is Houndoom!" The crowd cheered and clapped again. Karyme ran back to me and nuzzled my chin, giving me a lick on the cheek.

"You were amazing, Karyme!", I said hugging her to me.

"Oh, stop it. You're making me blush," she said turning pink.

"Challenger! Choose your next pokemon!", shouted the assistant again. _This guy is really pissing me off._

"I want to try again," Karyme said.

"Don't you want to rest a bit?"

"No, I think I'll be better off battling now than later."

"Okay, go ahead," I said as Karyme ran back off to the middle of the Gym floor. Byron pulled the last pokeball off of his belt and threw it high into the air. There was a briliant flash of white light and a Steelix materialized in front of us. It's probably one of the worst pokemon to come face to face with, let alone battle. It was an enormous pokemon, at least four stories high. It's body was made up of boulders that hardened into steel when it evolved. They all formed together to make up a snake-like body. It looked menacingly down at Karyme.

"Careful Karyme! Don't underestimate it!"

"Begin!", the assistant shouted.

"Flamethrower, Karyme!"

"Dig, Steelix." Karyme shot a Flamethrower, but Steelix dodged it by digging underground. Karyme bent her knees getting ready to jump out of the way at any second. I noticed the ground started to crack underneath Karyme.

"Karyme, underneath you!" Karyme looked down and jumped out of the way. There was a large blast and dirt flew everywhere as Steelix reapeared. He just barely missed Karyme. Karyme was crouched into a fighting stance, with her teeth bared and she was emitting a low growl. "Try another Flamethrower!" Karyme shot a tongue of flame at the Steelix. It easily slithered out of the way.

"Rock Throw, let's go!" Steelix's tail glowed and he smashed it into the ground, sending rocks flying at Karyme. She dodged them all except for one. It hit her in the chest, causing her to fly backwards. She hit the ground and slid a bit. I felt that pain go through me again. It wasn't nearly as bad as the first one though. Karyme got shakily to her feet again, wincing in pain and letting out a whimper. I opened my mouth to ask her if she was alright, but she said, "I'm fine fine, Alex." I was a bit uneasy about this, but It's her decision. Even if I don't like it that much.

"All right then. Use Agility then Flamethrower!" Karyme took off, turning into a black and silver blur. She ran circles around the Steelix, spitting out a Flamethrower every so often. The Steelix was really taking a beating from the flames. It was roaring and thrashing about in agony.

"Get away Steelix! Dig!" The Steelix dug underground once again, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.

"Keep your speed up, Karyme. Don't let it even get a chance to hit you!" Karyme ran around the Gym floor, making sharp turns at random. The only sound in the Gym now was Karyme's soft padded thuds and the crowd cheering. I couldn't hear the Steelix's burrowing anymore. A minute, two minutes, three minutes passed and still not even a tremor from the Steelix. As Karyme whizzed by me, I was scanning the ground for any sign of a crack. Karyme ran once again to the other side of the Gym and then I saw it. A couple of cracks forming directly in Karyme's path.

"Karyme! Left!" Karyme dodged left just before the ground erupted again from the emerging Steelix. But it din't emerge from the cracks. It came up right under Karyme. _Damn! It was a trap!_ The Steelix shot up out of the ground and hit Karyme's underside. She was blasted into the air in my direction. She hit the ground hard. The moment she hit the ground, the sharpest pain yet shot right through me, ripping right through my heart. I winced and collapsed to my knees, crying out in agony. I felt dizzy as my vision blurred a little. _What was this? Why do I feel Karyme's pain?_ Karyme tumbled on the ground, rolling and sliding, until she slid to a stop in front of me.

"Karyme...," I said placing a hand on her side. She was bleeding from her mouth as I felt her against my hand. She din't respond to my touch at all. She was unconscious.

"Houndoom is unable to battle. The victor of this round is Steelix!" The crowd cheered and clapped, but it was a bit more subdued this time. I think I even heard some boos among the applause. I pulled her pokeball off of my belt and returned her. _Sorry Karyme..._ I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned around to see Drake standing there, his face showing determination.

"I'll go next," he said.

"All right with me." Drake walked out to the middle of the floor. Even Drake looked small compared to that Steelix. They stared each other down, their eyes boring into one anothers.

"Begin!", shouted the assistant for the fourth time.

"Fly Drake!"

"Iron Defense." Drake flew into the air and the Steelix turned, if possible, even shinier as it hardened it's body.

"Use a Flamethrower!" Drake kept his distance from the Steelix and shot a Flamethrower out of his mouth.

"Use Iron Tail to block it." Steelix's tail glowed white and he brought it up to cover his face. It effectively blocked the Flamethrower, deflecting it away from him._ Shoot. The Steelix saw that one coming from a mile away. Drake needs to get closer. But if he does, he'll just get taken out by that tail. Well, we'll have to at least try._

"Drake! Try getting around behind it and hitting it with another Flamethrower. Fly fast, and watch out for that tail!" Drake roared and shot forward like a bullet, heading straight for the Steelix. The Steelix brought up it's tail and swung it down at Drake. Drake barrel-rolled out of harms way and flew around behind the Steelix. Drake opened his jaws wide and let loose a powerful blast of flame, hitting it directly in the back of the head. The Steelix roared and swung it's tail at Drake again, as if trying to swat an annoying fly. Drake barely dodged out of the way that time, letting the tip of Steelix's tail graze his side.

"Careful!" Drake continued to dart around the Steelix, spewing flames here and there. The Steelix kept up it's relentless attacks at Drake. The Steelix, getting smart, faked a lunge of it's tail to the right and then quickly swung it back to the left. Drake saw the lunge and rolled left, where he met the swing, crashing into the tail. Drake was knocked out of the air and he crashed to the ground he slid a ways before finally coming to a stop.

"Drake! Can you hear me?" Drake didn't respond.

"Charizard is unable to battle. The victor of this round is Steelix!" I pulled out Drake's pokeball and returned him too. I turned around to look at Luna and saw that she was pushing herself to her feet.

"You don't have to battle, Luna. He's pretty strong."

"Hey. I was the reason we came here in the first place. I can't back down and let Karyme's and Drake's hard work go to waste. Besides, 'pretty strong' isn't strong enough to beat me. Let's go!" I smiled at her enthusiasm as I watched her walk out to the middle of the floor. The crowd cheered when they saw the Lucario from the news was going to battle.

"Begin!"

"Dynamic Punch, Luna!"

"Dig." Luna's right paw glowed yellow and she charged forward. The Steelix quickly dug a hole and dissapeared beneath us.

"Use your aura to find it!" Luna's eyes glowed yellow and it looked like smoke colored a soft blue was coming off of her. She suddenly jumped to the left as the Steelix blasted out of the ground, exactly where she was standing only moments before.

"Extremespeed and Aura Sphere!" Luna darted around the Steelix at amazing speeds, shooting spheres of aura pelting at the Steelix. It roared at Luna, swishing it's sharp tail again. Luna was forced to stop and jump back as the tail almost hit her.

"Rock Throw" The Steelix swung it's heavy tail down at the ground making rocks shoot at Luna. Luna used her Aur Sphere to blast some out of her way and some she dodged.

"Try a Force Palm Luna!" Luna ran at the Steelix again and Steelix predictably swung it's tail down at Luna. She swiftly dodged it and it smashed into the ground beside her. She used the immobile tail to run up his body and hit it hard in the side of the head with a Force Palm. The Steelix roared and collapsed to the ground. Luna jumped off and landed lightly beside it. The Steelix got back up and slowly slithered to the side, never taking his eyes off of her.

"Use Safeguard, the Dig!", shouted Byron. The Steelix's body pulsed with a golden light as it dug underground.

"Spot it with you aura, Luna." Luna glowed blue again and scanned the ground beneath her for the snake pokemon. After a couple of seconds, she looked back up at me with a worried face.

"I can't find it! Safeguard is shielding it's aura!", Luna said in a panicky voice. We waited for what felt like an eternity, when the ground started to crack underneath Luna._ Wait. we can't just keep dodging it's attacks. I had an idea. Hopefully, it would work._

"Don't move Luna."

"Alex?", Luna said turning her head around to look at me.

"Trust me. Get ready to jump. Wait for my signal." Luna nodded and waited for the Steelix. The ground erupted underneath her. "Jump!", I yelled. Luna jumped just as the Steelix blasted out of the ground. Luna used the force from the Steelix's attack and the combined power of her jump to blast her up towards the ceiling. The Steelix looked around stupidly to see where the Lucario went.

"Now, Force Palm!" Luna started into a steady dive right down at the Steelix, sped up by the force of gravity. The Steelix looked up just before Luna smashed into hi face, right between the eyes, with a powerful Force Palm. The Steelix was hit with the force of a speeding train and sent smashing into the ground. Dust flew everywhere from the Steelix's impact, covering the Gym floor and stands. I coughed and covered my eyes as the dust cloud swept around me. It finally started to settle and I looked out onto the Gym floor to see who was still standing. The only thing I could make out was a giant mass, which must have been the Steelix. _Oh no. I hope Luna didn't get hurt._ The dust cleared a little more until I could clearly make out the scene before me. Luna was standing next to the fallen Steelix.

"Steelix!", Byron shouted. The Steelix remained on the ground, not moving a muscle.

"Steelix is unable to battle. The victor of this round and match is Alex!" The crowd erupted with screams and cheers as Byron returned his Steelix to it's pokeball. He walked across the battle ravaged Gym floor to me with a smile on his face.

"Thanks for a great battle kid," he said stretching out his hand. I gasped his hand and when he pulled away, I felt something in my palm. In my hand was a shniy new Gym badge. It was circular and colored silver, with three smaller patches of orange.

"Thank you," I said, looking back up at him.

"Sure. That's the Mine Badge. Put to good use," Byron said. He turned around and walked back into his office. I turned around to head out the door, but found my way blocked by what looked like everyone that was sitting in the stands. They were still whooping and cheering.

"That was amazing!"

"Can I get a picture with your Charizard."

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Wow."

"Your Lucario is awesome!"

"Can I see your Houndoom?"

"That was so cool!"

"Wow!"

And it went on like that for about twenty minutes until I finally just pushed through all of them. I exited out of the sliding glass doors and headed back to the Pokemon Center. It was pretty late now. The sun was low in the sky, coloring everything golden. I could hear the Murkrow and Noctowl starting to wake up from their slumber. I entered through the Pokemon Center's sliding doors and walked up to the front desk. I handed my pokeballs to Nurse Joy once again and sat down on the same waiting bench. The T.V. was still on from before. I folded my arms and leaned back, looking up at the T.V. A soap opera was on, displaying some guy and a really pissed off girlfriend._ These stupid shows were all the same. "How could you cheat on me?" "But I love you!" SMACK! "Well I don't love you" Aww boo hoo. Damn soap operas make me want to kick in someon'es face._ I was brought back to my senses by the jingle from the Canalave News.

"Here's an update of the situation in the Oreburgh Mine. A number of citizens confirmed that they saw the Mightyena from earlier today, with a whole group of other canine type, drag several smaller pokemon down into the mine," a reporter said from behind a news desk. "We will now go to Christine for more on this story. Christine?" The camera changed to another reporter.

"Thanks Emily. Behind me you can see the Oreburgh Mine. Reports have confirmed that several large canine pokemon kidnapped a few smaller pokemon and have taken them down into the mine. We have no clues as to what is taking place down there. A pokesquad is just now entering the mine to try and restrain the canine pokemon and rescue the others." Behind her there were ten men and ten Arcanine. They had on matching uniforms and were marching into the entrance of the mine. "As you can see, the group consists of an elite squad of enforcers and ten highly trained Arcanine. The team hopes to finish by morning. All we can do now is wait. This is Christine, reporting for Canalave News."

Th report ended and I stood up. It's time Malak learned that he can't do whatever he wants and not have to pay the consequences. I have to stop him. I had to do this for those poor pokemon..., and for Jade...

**End Notes:** Wow, that was long. I don't know about you guys, but I wasn't really happy with this chapter. If you guys thought it wasn't that good too, then let me know. Well I think I'm just about full with character requests. You guys buried me in requests! XD Wow, did I just say XD? Somebody slap me... Chapters might be slowing down a bit cuz I just started school again (I'm a Junior yay!) and I'll be writing don't worry! I think I'll be shooting for 30 chapters so I hope you guys can hang in there with me! So, I have enough character requests, but I still need some more characters to work for Malak. If you want a character to work for Malak, let me know ASAP! I only have three slots however, so hurry up! Also, be sure to visit Our community. By our I mean Mintobrandybuck, myself and Felix The Eeveetrainer's Community, The Shadow Trifecta. If you like my story, then you'll love the Community! Bear with us though, cause we just started it, so any complaints you have can stay with you. Umm, I think that's all. See ya!


	8. Without Ever Breaking the Kiss

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 8:**** Without Ever Breaking The Kiss**

**Author's Notes:** Wow, this one took me forever to write. I had a case of writer's block. I knew what I wanted to happen, but didn't know how to write it out. So anyways, I forced myself through it and this is the result. I also had a funny story since last time I updated. I was eating some Doritos. Mmmmm, they were so good. I was eating them really fast cuz they were so good and I swallowed a rather large piece and it got stuck in my throat. It cut the inside of my throat and I was coughing up blood and everything. It was weird cuz I didn't feel it. I actually thought I had contracted TB! But I went to the hospital and they said I just cut the lining of my throat. LOL. Ok so, the usual stuff. I do not own Pokemon, nor will I ever. I only own my characters; Alex, Karyme, Malak, Jade, Drake, and Luna. And now here's the chapter. Enjoy!

It was cold... I couldn't stand it... Every night I would loose them... It wouldn't stop... I was trapped in this void of darkness... Everytime I close my eyes... But then... I would wake up... She would be there...Karyme... She was all I needed... But Jade was there too...Were they both trying to tell me something... A warning... Did it show the future... No... It couldn't... Jade was dead... But yet... They seemed so real... So vivid... As if they were really there... Tonight was no exception... No pausing of these horrible events... Karyme and Jade... They would be laughing... Joking... Lying in the grass... Pointing up at the different shapes of clouds... They would call to me... To join them... How I longed to... But I couldn't... My body was motionless... Then out of nowhere... Everything would go wrong... All sound disappeared... The sky turned the deepest of black... The soft, flowing grass would disappear... Fire... Everywhere... The flames licked at Karyme and Jade... They'd give no notice... They still laughed and joked... Like nothing was going wrong... But something was going to go wrong... It always did... I tried to call out to them... To warn them... My voice... I couldn't yell... Then... The scene would change... They would be in a room... Blood spatters soaked the walls and floors... They were both strapped to operating tables... Oh no... Please no... I was just as immobile as they were... I tried to get away... I didn't want to find out what would happen next... I tried... And tried... But I couldn't... I tried closing my eyes... Nothing... I was a witness to this horrible scene... Karyme... She would look over to me... "What's going on Alex?" she would say in a very innocent voice... If only I could get to her... Or at least shout to her... There was a clinking noise behind me... Six objects floated by my head... Suspended in mid-air... As if an invisible person were carrying them... They floated over to Karyme and Jade... No... They were scalpels... Why... Why was this happening... The scalpels quivered inches above their fur... They slowly lowered to press against them... Karyme spoke to me again... "Alex. I don't like this. Make it stop"... Tears were forming in her eyes... The scalpels drew blood... Karyme and Jade screamed as they felt it pierce their skin... They cut thin lines along their stomach... Their screams echoed around the chamber... They filled my head... I couldn't take it... Karyme's face showed pain... Unimaginable pain... She screamed at the top of her lungs... I begged for it to be over... Let it end... Let it all end!

I bolted upright in my sleeping bag. I was panting as if I had just run a mile. The beads of sweat were just rolling off of me. I looked slowly to my left to see Karyme lying next to me._ Good. She was safe._ It's a wonder she wasn't woken up by my sudden awakening. I slipped out of my sleeping bag and crawled out of the tent. It was a clear night with a half-moon shining down on me. I heard the Kricketune singing their soft song to the night.

We were almost to Jubilife City, but night fell before we made it all the way, so we set up camp next to a small lake. I made my way down the sloping bank and sat down on some of the rocks on the lake's edge. I stuck my feet in the cool water, letting it cool me off a bit. I rested my head in my hands, pressing down on my face. Little stars erupted in my vision. I leaned back on the rocks and looked up at the wide sky above me. I lied there thinking over my most recent dream. _What does it mean? It must be trying to tell me something. Why else would I be having them? They couldn't just be bad dreams._ A gentle breeze picked up, playing with my hair. It felt good against my hot face. I heard something behind me, a rustling noise. I turned around to see Luna run out of the trees. She ran down the sloping bank to the lake, slowing her pace. She stopped at the water's edge, doubling over and panting. She bent down and lapped up some water. She saw me reflected in the water, sitting on the rocks and she looked up at me.

"Alex? Why aren't you asleep?", she asked wiping the driping water off of her muzzle and coming over to sit down next to me. It was amazing how much she could sound like my mother.

"Couldn't sleep," I said turning back to look at the stars again. "What about you?"

"Sometimes when I have a full mind, I find that all you need is a good run to clear it," Luna responded. She paused, then continued on. "Were you having nightmares again? Karyme was telling me about those. She said it had something to do with your mother." I laughed.

"Well, that's what I told her, but it wasn't true," I said, turning my head to look at Luna.

"You lied to Karyme?", she said, averting her eyes from my gaze, looking out over the water. "Why would you do that?"

"I'm not really lying to her, it's just that I'm not telling her the truth," I said also looking out over the lake.

"And what exactly is the truth?"

"Well you see, those nightmares are, umm," I said slowly, twidling my thumbs. "They are, well, they are about Karyme." Luna didn't respond. She just turned her head in my direction.

"I don't think I understand. If Karyme was in it, wouldn't they be good dreams?" Luna lowered her paw into the water as she said this. She pushed it around, examining how the water wove around it. I sighed, leaning my head back on the rocks. I put my arms behind my head and gazed up at the sky above me.

"These aren't normal dreams though."

"How so?", Luna asked also lying back on the rocks next to me. So I told her the whole story about my dreams. I told her what would happen to Karyme and Jade each time and how I'm immobile, helpless. When I finished my story, Luna paused for a moment, creating an awkward silence.

"I'm not sure, but it sounds like you're afraid of losing Karyme and it would be your fault. The reason you can never get to her is because you feel helpless to her imminent doom. And as for Jade, I think she is there as a symbol of one you have already lost." She paused again as she chose her words. "You just need to push it to the back of your mind. Don't let them control and manipulate you. They're not real or true unless you let them be. If you must dwell on something, then it should be your love for her. Not disturbing nightmares of her getting taken from you."

"I know, it's just that," I could feel tears building up inside of me._ I had to contain it and be strong though_. "I'm afraid of losing her and it being my fault. Like what happened with Jade," I said, my voice cracking from trying to hold in my tears. Luna noticed. She scooted up next to me and pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back after a few seconds, relieved that someone was there to comfort me. It made me feel a whole lot better. She realeased me and looked at me soothingly.

"Alex. You know that wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything!"

"But that doesn't stop me from feeling guilty."

"You'll always blame yourself until you realize that life is life, and death is death. You can never change that and nobody can. What you can do is accept it and forgive yourself, tough as it may be. We will all loose someone eventually in our lifetime, but the person lost wouldn't want you to spend time weeping for them. If Karyme lost you would you want her to cry over you for weeks on end?"

"No, I guess not. I would want her to continue on."

"Exactly, the person would want you to live life to the fullest because you still have the gift of life and that's not something that should go to waste." I took time to take in what Luna said, and I realized that every bit, every word was true. _I can't let these nightmares take control of me. I'm stronger than that._

"Well Alex, I wish you luck," Luna said standing up. "As for me, I'm off to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I responded. I sat there for a little while thinking over everything that happened tonight before finally retreating to the tent. I crawled in next to Karyme and softly slipped my hands around her stomach. I gently rubbed her underside and laid my head down next to hers, taking in the scent of her warm fur.. She shifted slightly in her sleep. She put her paw on the back of my hand and softly whispered "Alex." I smiled as I slowly slipped into sleep. One thing was for sure, I was going to take Luna's advice. However, Jade was not yet forgotten...

The next morning I woke up with a splitting headache. Every move I made sent pulsing shockwaves through my head. It felt as if someone was beating on it all night with a hammer. I laid back down in my sleeping bag and rested for another hour or two until the pain finally receded. I had no idea what had gotten over me. I decided that I had better start packing up so we can get an early head start. Karyme was still sleeping and Drake and Luna were off somewhere. They were probably out for a morning stroll or something. I continued with my work, but stopped shortly after I had started. I felt a weird sensation, a tingling sensation on the back of my neck. Like I was being watched. I looked around our campsite and to the trees beside it. Nothing was out of the ordinary. I shrugged and continued on, but I had been working for a minute when the sensation returned. It was a bit eerie. I looked around again, this time scanning the treeline across the lake. I jumped a little when I finally spotted it. Framed between two trees, across the lake, was a Ninetails. It wasn't the usual beigh color of a regular Ninetails. It was a shiny Ninetails. It was a silvery white color that shone, even though it was semi-hidden under the cover of the trees. It's eyes were icy blue that seemed to freeze you should you stare at them too long. His whole stature intrigued me. The way he sat, the way his eyes bore into mine. He had a slight frown along his muzzle. Then, suddenly, he jumped from the cover of the trees and darted down route 218 towards Jubilife City._ Wow. That was a rare pokemon. Even a regular Ninetails would have been rare way out here._ I just couldn't get it's image out of my head. I felt that I was somehow connected to this Ninetails, but I couldn't put my finger on it. _No. I couldn't. I've never even seen a shiny Ninetails in my life, whether physically or in a book._ I shrugged and pushed it to the back of my mind. I needed to get going if we were going to get to Jublife before dark. The only thing left to pack up was the tent, but Karyme was still asleep. I crawled inside and gently woke her up. She yawned widely as she woke.

"I dreamed about you," she said, a smile coming onto her face as she stretched. "We were lying in a field looking up at the clouds." This sent a chill down my back. It was just how my dream started out.

"I dreamed of you too," I said forcing a smile onto my face. Karyme leaned up and licked my cheek. I finished packing up the tent. Drake and Luna showed up just as I swung my backpack over my shoulder. They came out of the woods, Luna holding onto Drake's upper arm. They both were wearing grins as thay casually chatted. I couldn't help but think about how cute they looked together.

We walked all day to Jubilife, stopping once for lunch next to a small stream. Karyme was still tired as we started so I decided to carry her for a bit. She nuzzled my neck along the way, licking and nibbling at it in a loving way. I looked behind us while we walked and saw Drake and Luna holding hands, laughing and joking as we walked on. I also looked around us occasionatly, trying to spot the Ninetails from earlier. I had to admit I wanted to find out more about it. Even a glimpse would be fine. I thought about it until we finally got to Jubilife City. It wasn't anything special. Probably the same as Canalave except a little bigger. I could make out the famous T.V. station, towering above all of the other buildings, right in the heart of the city. It was nearing dusk, so we decided to check into a hotel. To tell you the truth, I was getting a bit bored of Pokemon Centers. We checked in and found our room. One thing was for sure, it was much better than the Pokemon Center. The floor was paneled with a smooth wood flooring that changed into a beigh carpet in the bedroom. The living room consisted of a sofa, a loveseat and a reclining armchair, all mimicing the carpet color. There was a glass coffee table, a marble fireplace and a plasma T.V. mounted on the wall. There were also big bay windows that looked down on the vast city below. In the bedroom were two king-sized beds with white sheets and two night stands on either side. There was another T.V. and another, smaller, fireplace in here too. The bedroom even had the same bay windows, but the curtains were drawn shut over them. The bathroom came off from the bedroom. It had two sinks, a Jacuzzi, and a shower that was enormous. The floor was tiled with big granite slates of tile, and in every room, on the walls, were wall mounted lights that gave the place a soft glow. To put it simple, this place was decked out!

"Hey Alex?", Drake asked from behind me. "Do you mind if Luna and I go out on the town?"

"Sure, no problem. Just promise me you'll do one thing for me while you're out," I replied. They looked over to me. "Have fun," I said, a smile creeping onto my face. Luna laughed and said, "Don't worry. We promise." They waved goodbye and headed out the door. As soon as they were gone, Karyme jumped up on top of one of bedsonto the perfectly unwrinkled sheets.

"Oh, it's so comfortable!", Karyme said, burying her face in the pillows. I laid down on the bed to see just how comfy it was and felt my eyes close almost instantly. _It was pure bliss. I could have fallen asleep right there if I had wanted to_. I felt weight on my chest and hot breath in my face. I opened my eyes to see Karyme leaning over me. She looked so seductive as she smiled down at me. I reached up and stroked the fur on the back of her neck. She brought her muzzle down to meet my lips. I responded by pulling her down on top of me and squeezing her gently. She parted my lips with her tongue and forced her way inside. I met her tongue with mine and they toyed with each other. Karyme moaned deeply in her throat. I pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes

"How about we save some for later?", I said.

"Oh, it was just getting to the good part," she repied pouting a bit.

"I wanted to take a shower and get clean before we get dirty again, if you know what I mean," I tickled her in her side. She jumped and giggled pulling away from me a bit.

"I'm not sure exactly what a shower is though."

"I'ts like a bath, but it's much quicker," I said standing up.

"Can I take a shower with you?", Karyme asked sounding eager now.

"Yeah. When was the last time you took a bath anyways?"

"Since that night at the waterfall," Karyme said grinning.

"Oh yeah. I remember that. That was fun," I said also grinning. I brought back the memories as Karyme and I walked into the bathroom.

I turned on the tap to let the water warm up. While that was going, I slipped off my clothes and threw them into a heap on the floor. I stepped into the shower with Karyme following me. The hot jet of water felt so relaxing on my back. I sat down and Karyme came up in front of me. I grabbed some soap and pushed it into her fur covering her in suds. Once she was completely covered, I scrubbed the soap deep down underneath her fur with my fingers. I scrubbed her neck, chest, back, fore legs, stomach and hind legs. My pressure eased up as I washed around her tender area. A glazed look washed across her face, fading away once I moved my hands away to wash her tail.

"Umm, Alex? I think you missed a spot," Karyme said, looking me deeply in the eyes.

"Oh really?", I said sarcastically, a grin spreading onto my face. "Was it here?", I asked. She shook her head eagerly. "Or here?", I said moving my hands to scratch her back. "Getting closer," she said panting by now. "Ahh, I think it must have been right about here," I said moving my hands in between her hind quarters.

"Oooo, yeah. That's the spot," Karyme said, the glazed look returning. I rubbed the tips of my fingers over her outer lips, massaging, getting a soft moan from Karyme. I stroked one finger, slowly, along the crevice of them. Karyme's eyes closed and she shuddered from my one finger sliding over her. She thrust her hips forward as her pleasure hightened. I reluctantly moved my fingers away from her.

"Getting a bit excited, aren't we?", I said, raising one of my eyebrows.

"You always pick the perfect time to stop," she said sarcastically.

"We'll pick up where we left off later."

"Now seems good," she said, advancing on me a bit seductively.

I pressed my finger to her lips to stop her. "It'll make it that much better when we finally get around to it." Karyme sighed, but agreed. I rinsed her off and turned off the tap. We stepped out of the shower and I dried us both off. As I dried off Karyme's back, her fur brushed against the tip of my nose. Her smell drifted up my nostrils. _It was too much. I could barely contain myself in the shower. I wanted her now._ I wrapped one of my arms around her neck and pulled her in to meet my lips. Karyme's eyes widened in surprise, but she slowly relaxed as she started to kiss back passionately. She draped her paws around my neck, moving her body even closer to mine. Her tongue pushed against my lips, begging for entry. I moved mine out to meet hers and they coiled around each other. I scooped Karyme up in my arms and carried her to the bed. I gently laid her down on top of the sheets and I laid down next to her, our tongues still entwined. Karyme rolled herself on top of me. Her fur was warm against my bare skin. Her fur tickled my stomach. It felt so good. We broke apart to catch our breath. A single strand of saliva hung between our mouths before it broke. Karyme pushed her mouth back onto mine. I felt Karyme's tongue stop moving and she gasped into my mouth. I realized why a second later. My newly hardened member was poking against her moist folds. She grinned and turned herself around on top of me, so that her mouth was mere inches away from my length.

"Mmm, look what I found," Karyme said sarcastically. She lowered her head and gave it an experimental lick. I let out a soft moan and shuddered from the pleasure, as I felt my nether regions throb. She licked my member, from the base all the way to the tip in long slow strokes. I could feel every bump on her tongue sliding over my length, each one sending jolts of pleasure shooting through me. I closed my eyes as Karyme worked her tongue. Karyme sped up her motions, now stroking her tongue over my tip. I felt a drop of some liquid drop onto my nose. _It smelled good._ I opened my eyes and saw Karyme's wet lips, dripping with her fluids. Another drop fell into my open mouth. _It was sweet tasting_. I raised my head up and lapped the seeping juices. I felt Karyme's tongue stop as she cried out in surprise.. I continued to lick around, never missing a drop of juice. Karyme moaned and cooed from my treatment. She continued her treatment as well, engulfing my whole length into her mouth this time. The inside of her mouth was so warm. She bobbed her head up and down, sliding her tongue over my tip. I roved my tongue around her outer folds, occasionally sliding my tongue into her entrance. Karyme's moans sent vibrations over my member, adding to my already sky-rocketing pleasure. My orgasm was building up inside of me. I could feel it. Like a can of soda shaken up and waiting to burst. (lol, can't really describe it) I started pushing my tongue in and out of her in an attempt to get her to climax. I must have hit her G-spot because she cried out from the intense feeling, realeasing my length from my mouth. She cried out again as her walls contracted and her juices spilled out onto my face and into my mouth. I licked her clean as Karyme flicked the tip of her tongue over the tip of my member. My pleasure climaxed and I released my seed into her open maw, some of it splattering across her muzzle. She licked it all up and leaned back down to lick my length clean. After she was done, she turned around and upon seeing her juices on my face, started to lick that up too. With her job done, she laid down on my chest, panting heavily.

"That was fun," Karyme said, her eyes closed.

"Ready for round two?", I said licking her muzzle.

"Oh, there's a round two, is there?", Karyme responded, giggling. Karyme scooted herself until the tip of my length poked her backside. She placed her paws on my chest and slowly pushed herself up, impaling herself on me, until she was in a sitting position. She cooed from the feeling of me inside of her. Then she lifted herself up until I was almost out of her and she slid back down, at a slow pace. Everytime she would slide back down, she would let out a soft moan. Her warmness and tightness around me, already make me leak some pre into her and I could feel some of her own leaking fluids too. Karyme quickened her pace as her moans became more audible. I reached up and grabbed her hips to help her out somewhat, making her go even faster. My second climax of the night was welling up inside of me. I was close and from the way Karyme was moaning, I could tell she was too. Karyme kept thrusting herself down onto my member, along with my help. Both of our juices were dripping out of Karyme, adding an odd squelching noise with each downward thrust. Our hips bucked wildly, smacking into each other as Karyme thrusted harder. Karyme was moaning, nonstop to the ceiling now, the pleasure completely taking control of her movements. After a few more thrusts, my orgasm exploded inside of her, dumping my seed into her. Karyme's orgasm came too. Her walls once again tightened and she came onto my length, covering it in her sweet smelling juices. She collapsed onto my chest, her and I breathing heavily and basking in the post-orgasm afterglow. Both of out juices seeped out of Karyme, coating our inner thighs. Karyme rolled off of me and pulled herself off of my now limp member. Her head turned toward me and she kissed my neck, coaxing my lips into another kiss. We tasted each other fluids, along with our own in our mouths. Then, with both of us drained of our energy, we fell asleep... without ever breaking the kiss...

A single ray of sunlight poked through the gap in the curtains, easing me awake. I slowly cracked open my eyelids. Karyme was awake too. She was lying on her side, facing me. She stared deeply into my eyes and i stared right back. A grin spread across her face.

"Good morning my love," she said softly, leaning in for a kiss. She gave me a brief kiss and she licked my cheek as she pulled away. Drake and Luna were back. I didn't hear them come in last night. Luna was curled up in Drake's arms and Drake had his wing draped over her. They looked so peaceful and happy. Luna even had a slight smile on her muzzle. I eventually realized that I left my clothes in the bathroom the previous night and they were still there. I rubbed Karyme's back and she gave me a warm smile. I smiled back before I swung my legs off of the bed, sliding out from beneath the sheets. I stood up and headed for the bathroom. I heard a wide yawn behind me and Luna's voice say, "Good morning, Alex."

"Luna!", I said quickly spinning around and covering myself up. "I-I'm not wearing anything." Karyme giggled and burried her face in the pillows to quieten herself.

"Does it really matter Alex?", she said stretching and yawning again.

"Umm, well, I think so, just a bit."

"I'm not wearing anything either. I don't mind it one bit. You're still the same Alex to me whether you're wearing anything, or not."

"Ok, well I'm gonna go get dressed now. We're gonna be heading out soon, so you might wanna wake Drake up," I said just as Drake fipped onto his back and started snoring.

Five minutes later I emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed. Drake, Luna and Karyme were sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the news. It was an update on the situation in Oreburgh.

"Alex, come quick," Karyme said, sounding worried. I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Karyme scooted up next to me and rested her head on my shoulder, looking at the T.V. I turned my attention to the T.V. too. There was a Jubilife reporter speaking from in front of Oreburgh Mine.

"It's dawn the dawn of day two of this horrifying situation and we still have not had any transmission from the Pokesquad since about twenty four hours ago. This was the last we've heard from them." The screen switched to show the sound waves from the transmission, with subtitles rolling scross the bottom of the screen. "We've found the hostages, escorting them now. I repeat, we've found the hostages, escor- Sergei! Restrain that Jolteon!" There was a scrambling noise. It sounded as if he had dropped the radio. He spoke again. He sounded terrified and somewhat desperate. "Wha? Arcanine! It's me! Victor! Don't you remember? No! Please!" The last thing we heard was the man scream. It was a blood curdling scream. It gave me the shivers. The transmission cut out to static as it ended. The screen changed back to the reporter. "We recieved that transmission early yesterday morning at about this time. Now all we can do is wait and hope that- wait a minute. There's some commotion going on behind me." There was indeed something happening. The crowd got noisier and everyone was standing on tiptoe, looking over to the mine's entrance. The cameraman lifted his camera above the crowd and looked over at the entrance. A Pichu was stumbling up out of the mine. Cuts and slashes were spread over it's body and blood steaked down it's face, dripping steadily onto the ground. I was able to make out something tied around it's neck. It looked like a rolled up piece of paper. Most of the blood was gushing out of two holes on top of it's head. I gasped when i realized that they were where it's ears should have been. It walked a few more feet, until it fell flat onto it's face. Two paramedics and a Chansey rushed out to it, along with the Police Sheriff. They picked up the Pichu and carted it away on a stretcher. The Chansey handed the Sheriff the slip of paper that was tied around it's neck. The Sheriff unrolled it, straightening up. Everyone got quiet as he read what was written on it.

"Send no others to us, lest more blood be spilled." The crowd erupted as reporters shouted to the Sheriff, bombarding him with questions. The camera was back on the reporter now as she spoke again. A Pichu has apparently emerged from the mine with a message. 'Send no others to us, lest more blood be spilled.' I'll be here all day reporting the drama as it unfolds. This is Kiersten for Jubilife City news." I got up off of the bed as the report ended.

"We have to go help them," I said.

"I agree. We can't just sit here and do nothing," Drake said also standing up. "If you girls want to stay here, Alex and I can be back in a couple of hours."

"While we do what?", Luna responded. "Sit here helplessly, not knowing if you're alive or dead? We're a team Drake. The four of us. If we do something, we do it together, or not at all."

"Luna's right. We should stick together. Is everyone ready to head out then?" They all replied "Yes." "All right let's go." We headed outside and I put Karyme and Luna inside their pokeballs. It would be much faster if we flew. I climbed onto Drake's back and we took off to Oreburgh City...

An hour and a half later, we touched down in front of the Pokemon Center. We walked down the streets, heading for the mine. Oreburgh City was located in a valley between two mountains that were part of the Coronet Mountain range. The mountains cut right through the middle of Sinnoh, dividing it into East Sinnoh and West Sinnoh. Oreburgh City sat right in the middle of the dividing point, so it was part of neither East Sinnoh, nor West Sinnoh. Mount Coronet, rumored to be the home of the legendary Dialga and Palkia, was the tallest mountain in the whole mountain range. It sat in the middle of the range, almost the same distance from the North and South ends. You could say that it was the center of Sinnoh.

We headed down an alley that was a quicker path to the mine. We suddenly heard a crash. A trash can fell over ahead of us, spilling its contents everywhere. A pokemon appeared and started sniffing the garbage, looking for remnants of food. It's fur was pure white with some black on it's muzzle and paws. A black horn stuck out of it's head, off to the side. The end of it seemed to have been broken off, leaving a jagged and pointy edge. It was an Absol. We continued walking forward. It looked up at us upon hearing our footsteps. It crouched down and leapt up to a balcony above us, disappearing from view. I looked up to the place where I last saw it. _That was odd. It wasn't exactly the urban type of pokemon you usually see wandering around in cities. _I looked back down and recieved a shock. A pair of Arcanine eyes were peeking out at us from behind a dumpster. When it saw me looking at it, it yelped in surprise and she pulled her head back behind the dumpster. I could tell it was female from the sound of it's yelp. We continued on once again. I looked back, after passing the dumpster, and saw the Arcanine hiding betwwen the dumpster and the wall of the building. Now that I got a good look at her, she was a bit small for an Arcanine. The top of her head probably only came up to the bottom of my chin. I couldn't help but smile. She was an Arcanine, a big and strong pokemon, but she was as timid as an Eevee. I turned my head froward and we kept on walking.

We finally arrived at the mine, easily recognizable by the enormous crowd. We pushed our way to the front and stepped over the Police safety tape. We got about five steps before I heard a voice behind me.

"Woah, where d'ya think yer goin' son?", I felt a hand clap onto my shoulder, stopping me. I turned around and looked up into the Sheriff's face. "The mine's been closed off. There's wild pokemon runnin' amok down there. Haven't ya heard?"

"Yes I have. That's why I'm going down there," I said determindly.

"And do what? Do you think yer gonna take on them pokemon single-handedly?"

"Yes. Are you going to stop me?"

"Well, that depends. How old are ya?"

"I am nineteen years old."

"Well I guess I can't. Yer an adult. Just know that there's gonna be nobody helpin' you. We don't have the men to send down there with ya. And we won't be responsible for any injuries."

"I anticipated that," I said walking over to the entrance. "We won't be long."

**E/N: **So, there you have it! I was a bit disapointed with this chapter. Lemme know what you guys think! Don't worry though cuz part two and three (yes, there will be a part two and three) will be way more exciting. The story will also get much, much better. Bear with me! Everyone that sent me their character will see them sooner or later. They are in no specific order. I just put them in where I think they will fit the best. If anyone can guess where the quote "Ready for round two?" from the lemon came from, I will let them add in another character! Also part one is very quickly drawing to a close. This is the second last chapter of part one. Part two will continue right where part one leaves off so don't remove this story from your alert list! So review this chapter and tell me what you liked or didn't like. Your reviews really help me with my writing, whether they are copliments or flames. Example: The lemon from this chapter compared to the lemon from chapter 6. Don't you think this lemon is better than the lemon from chapter 6? If yes, then it was all thanks to your helpful reviews and PMs. If no, well, you don't know what a lemon is, lol. And make sure to check out the community I'm a pert of. It's called Shadow Trifecta. If you like my story, then there are plenty more stories there that you will love too! So until next time, see yuh!


	9. Luck Runs Out

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 9:**** Luck Runs Out**

**Author Notes:** Well I was able to get this chapter out quicker than usual. I just hope I didn't rush myself. Just to let you guys know **this chapter** is the second last chapter of part one. I decided to write a short chapter ten after this one, so hang on, we're almost there! So I own Alex, Karyme, Drake, Luna, Jade, and Malak as usual. Oh, yeah. Just to let you know, Alex has a bit of a dark side in him and this chapter has very strong violence. I'll say no more so to find out you'll just have to read! Here's the chapter!

We walked towards the gaping hole in the rock face, that lead down into Oreburgh Mine. _This was it. Now it's time for Malak to pay for what he did. He has nowhere to go._ I turned to Karyme, Drake and Luna.

"Okay, be careful. We don't know exactly where they are, so keep your eyes and ears sharp." Luna stepped forward to me.

"I can lead the way using my Aura Sight, Alex."

"That would make it much easier. Thanks Luna." She nodded at me and with that, we stepped into the mine. It got colder and darker with every step we took. Suddenly, my leg caught something and I tripped. I landed on the ground and everyone around me stopped.

"Alex, are you okay?", Karyme asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied getting back to my feet. My hands were scraped and bleeding a little from where I had landed on them. "I just tripped over something. It was just dark so I couldn't see where I was going." I looked down to my feet to try and locate the object that had tripped me up. I spotted it. It was an old piece of lumber. Then I got an idea. I picked up the wood and asked Karyme to ignite it with her Flamethrower, which she did. I held it up as a makeshift torch. _Now at least I could see a bit better._ We walked for about five more minutes, deeper and deeper into the mine.

"Do you see anything Luna?", I asked looking around me for any signs of movement.

"I see some very faint life forces off in the distance. Those must be the poor pokemon that were kidnapped. Other than that, well, there have been three life forces following us for about two minutes." I whipped around and held my torch high above my head, scanning the ground. The pool of light only extended so far. Beyond that was blackness. _If they were tailing us, then they were probably sitting just outside my range of view._ I turned back around and continued walking, pulling out my pocket knife as a precaution. I glanced behind us every so often to make sure nobody was sneaking up on us.

"Alex. There's someone up ahead blocking our path. Three someones to be exact."

"Shoot, they got us trapped."

"What do we do now?"

"Spring the trap. It would be pretty rash, but we don't have any other choice do we?" Luna nodded and turned to face forward again. We continued walking until three figures became visible through the gloom. They were three of the Eevee evolutions, standing in a row, blocking our advance into the mine. On the left stood a Flareon and on the right stood an Umbreon. In the middle stood a Jolteon, but he was a bit different from usual Jolteon. For one, he was a bit bigger and on his muzzle was a scar. It was in the shape of an "X" and cut right across both of his eyes. I glanced behind us and saw the three pokemon that were tailing us come out of the shadows. Two Poochyena and a Luxio. I turned back to the three in front of us. The Jolteon stepped forward.

"Invaders, what is your business here? Was our message not clear? It was stated that any who enter our territory will be punished with severe consequences."

"Where's Malak, and where are the pokemon you kidnapped?" I said. Laughter rang out around us, echoing off of the walls. The six pokemon were laughing at us. Anger was building up inside of me. It burned and lashed out inside of me. _How could they laugh about kidnapping inocent pokemon?._ The Jolteon spoke again, a sadistic grin on his face.

"I cannot reveal Master Malak's whereabouts. He gave me strict orders. As for the pokemon, trust me when I say this, you don't want to know." The anger flared inside me again. I was about to lose it and this guy was gonna be on the receiving end of it.

"Actually I do want to know, see that's why I asked. And if you don't tell me where they are soon, you're going to be the ones that'll have to deal with severe consequences." The laughter died down almost instantly as if someone had turned down the volume. It was growling that was to be heard now. The Jolteon's grin was wiped off and replaced with a frown.

"You've got some nerve, human. I don't like your tone. You obviously have no idea who you're talking to. I am Ichigo, Malak's most dedicated servant! I serve him without hesitation! And right now his wishes are for you to die!", he nearly screamed at me. Then he turned around and started walking back into the mine. He stopped at the Flareon and Umbreon, speaking to them.

"Kill them, but spare the Houndoom. Master Malak has plans for her. Whatever you do, do not let any of them escape. Do you understand?" The Flareon and Umbreon both nodded slowly, bowing slightly before Ichigo. They both turned to face us growling, as Ichigo trotted back down into the mine, disappearing into the shadows. We were surrounded and they were closing in on us. Both sides glared at each other, waiting for someone to make a move. All of a sudden the Luxio snarled and leapt at Luna. After that all hell broke loose. The remaining four leapt at us too. Drake saw the Luxio leap for Luna and he swung his tail around to beat it back down. This left him open, from which the Flareon took it's chance. It leapt at him sinking it's pointy little teeth into his neck. Drake roared stumbling slightly from the unexpected attack.

The Umbreon charged at me. It jumped and went for my throat. I quickly stabbed my knife into it's chest, stopping it's attack. It cried out in pain, blood running steadily over my hand from it's wound. I tossed the limp Umbreon to the side. Karyme was fending off two Poochyena at once. She was shooting small jets of flame to keep them at bay. They were still advancing on her steadily. Karyme backed into the wall and she gasped. She had nowhere else to go. Then the Poochyena both pounced on her at the same time. She was able to hit one of them with a blast of flame, but before she could even turn to the second one, he had his teeth sunk into her.

Pain shot through me again, as it always did when Karyme felt pain_. I had to help._ Karyme fell to the ground, the Poochyena she hit with the Flamethrower joining in on the attack. I charged for Karyme, tackling one of the Poochyena off of her. It recovered quickly and leapt at me. I swung my knife around and stabbed it hard in the side as it was in mid-jump for my neck. It whimpered and tumbled to the ground dead. Karyme pushed the other Poochyena off of her and it ran up the sloping tunnel towards the exit of the mine. Drake won his tussel with the Flareon. He grabbed it by the neck and slammed it into the ground cutting off it's air supply. The Flareon was flailing it's legs around, scratching at Drake's arm. It tried to shoot a Flamethrower, but with Drake constricting it's airway, it couldn't even scream. It slowly stopped it's strugling and went limp. Drake held it for a little while longer just to make sure it was really dead before finally releasing it. Luna and the Luxio were the only pair still fighting. They were daring around at lightning-fast speeds, canceling out each other's attacks. The Luxio was trying to clamp it's jaws down on Luna and Luna was trying to hit it with a Force Palm. The Luxio was starting to get tired. I could see it in it's movements. It's attacks were slowing down and becoming blended together. Luna took her chance, sidestepping one of the Luxio's attacks, getting around behind it. She hit it with a powerful Force Palm in his back. There was a loud snapping noise and the Luxio slumped to the ground.

"Is everyone all right?", I asked. Karyme and Drake were both bleeding, but Luna was unscathed. They all, however, nodded. "Okay, let's keep moving." We continued down. The path curved a couple of times, until we finally came out into a large room. The ceiling must have been at least thrity feet high. The room was very spacious, lit up by numerous flood lights, unlike the dark tunnel we just came through. I tossed away the burning piece of wood in my right hand as there was no more use for it. Various pieces of mining equipment and machinery were scattered along the walls, leaving the middle open. And in the middle was one of the sickest sights I've ever seen. The bodies of the ten Pokesquad officers were lying in a neat row. Most of them had their chests ripped open, blood pouring freely from the wound. The remaining men's throats were missing. Bits of flesh and something that looked horribly like a heart were lying next to the victims, their blood pooling together underneath them. The smell was just unbearable. I coughed, putting my arm up in front of my nose to try and stem the flow of the stench. The Pokesquad officers all had the same expression on their face. Blank and staring.

Scattered around the room, unlike the men, were seven of the ten Arcanine, lying dead on the ground. I noticed that three of the Arcanine were missing. I shuddered when I remembered the man's voice on the news. "Wha? Arcanine! It's me! Victor! Don't you remember? No! Please!" _The other three, Malak must have turned on their trainers. Why would they though? Weren't they supposed to be highly trained? _The last group of bodies were what appeared to be the pokemon taken hostage. There was a Pachirisu, two Pichu, a Plusle, a Miun, a Maril and a Bellossom. They all bore vicious bite marks, mainly around their throats, but I could make out a few on other parts of their body too. They were all clearly dead. _Wait. I thought I saw some movement... I did! The Bellossom was breathing! _I kneeled down next to it.

"Hello? Can you hear me?", I said, my voice a bit panicky. Karyme came up behind me looking over my shoulder. The Bellossom slowly creaked it's eyes open halfway.

"Who's there?", she asked in a raspy voice. She spoke very slow, mainly due to her injuries.

"We're here to save you," Karyme said, her voice sounding like mine. The edges of the Bellossom's mouth twitched as she smiled weakly.

"What's there to save?", she said indicating her mutilated body. She coughed hard, droplets of blood spraying from her mouth. Her face twisted in pain as her coughing aggravated her internal injuries.

"Don't say that!", I said trying to sound confident, but failing miserably. "We'll get you out of here. Just stay clam." I reached out to pick her up in my arms.

"No," she said firmly. "It's a trap... Don't you see?... They want you to try and save me... But it is too late... My time is done... Save yourselves... Run... While you still can."

"We have to at least try to-," I started, but was cut off by the Bellossom.

"Run!... Leave me!" She suddenly went into a coughing fit. Her chest heaved as she struggled to draw breath. I panicked. I didn't know what to do. The Bellossom drew in a shuddering breath, then her chest fell as she exhaled. I waited, hoped for her chest to rise again, but it didn't. She was gone. I stared at her limp form for a while. _Never had I felt so helpless. She was right there! And I didn't do anything._ I stood up and walked away from her limp form. I could hear Karyme sob a little behind me. _This time it had been my fault. All my fault..._

"Beautiful, wasn't she?", said a familiar voice from behind me. I quickly spun around, searching for the voice's owner. Ichigo came out from behind a pile of rubble next to the far wall. "Too bad she had to die along with the others. Why do they all have to struggle?"

"Where's Malak?", I asked, my hands balling into fists.

"Always asking questions this one is. You know, curiosity can get you killed."

"I'll ask you one more time. Where is that son of a bitch Malak?", I said every syllable ringing with rage.

"And I'll tell you one more time. Leave now before I make you wish you never stepped foot into this mine.", Ichigo said, taking a step towards me.

"How do you plan on doing that? There's four of us and only one of you." I was feeling excessively cocky. A smile curled onto Ichigo's face. _How could he possibly think anything was funny right now?_

"Oh, I beg to differ. How about we show them what I mean boys?" As he said this, pokemon starting appearing all around the room. They came out from behind large machinery, boulders, piles of rubble, and mining equipment. The three missing Arcanine appeared too, standing behind Ichigo. Their eyes were glowing purple and oddly enough, they walked the exact same way and when one twisted it's neck or growled, the others copied him. I could make out an Espeon behind the Arcanine, it's eyes glowing purple too. _It must be controlling the Arcanine with it's psychic abilities. That would explain why they turned on their former masters._ The other pokemon formed a circle around us. There were Luxio and Shinx, Umbreon, Houndour, Poochyena, Growlithe, Flareon, and Electrike. There were roughly two dozen of them all together. I was glad that they weren't fully evolved or we would really be in some deep shit.

"So there are twenty three of us and only four of you," Ichigo stated, grinning maliciously. I had to admit, he was right. We were outnumbered six to one. "Now I'll give you two options since I'm feeling generous today," he said sarcastically. The surrounding pokemon chuckled as he said this. "One, I can let you walk out of here, with the exception of the pretty girl with the black fur, unscathed and fit to live another day. Or two, I can kill you all right now and I promise to make it as painful as possible. So what will it be? It's a pretty simple choice, if you ask me. Choose quickly, I have very little patience." I stood there for a little while thinking over our situation. _I wasn't going anywhere without Karyme, that was for sure. But what about Luna and Drake? They have a say in this too._ I looked over to Luna and Drake, wordlessly asking them what was on my mind. Drake nodded at me.

"We're here for you Alex. No matter what," Drake said, Luna confirming it by nodding too. _With Luna and Drake, we could take these guys easily._ I slowly walked up to Ichigo. I stopped when I was about five feet from him, slowly looking up.

"And your decision?", Ichigo said.

"You want my decision?", I said staring into his face.

"If you don't mind. It would really be appreciated," Ichigo said, piling on the sarcasm. I spat on the ground right in front of him. Ichigo looked down at it and then back up at me, hate etched into his face. He looked like he was about to explode. Electricity was crackling through his fur from his rage. His eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth. With a snarl he yelled angrily and leapt at me, spit flying from his mouth. I was ready for him. I quickly kicked him in the chest, knocking him back to the ground. He slid to a halt and jumped back to his feet.

"Get them!", he yelled to the room at large. All at once, the surrounding pokemon jumped at us. The room around me lit up red and blue from Karyme and Drake's fire attacks and from Luna's aura attacks. The three Arcanine jumped at me at once. I leapt backwards, barely avoiding their teeth. The three of them collided into one another as their attacks missed me. They got to their feet and turned their heads to look at me, all mirroring each others movements. _I had to say, it really creeped the hell outta me. _ The adrenaline pumped through my veins as I watched them nearing. Once again, they attacked me, but this time I had a plan formulated. They lunged their heads down, to try and clamp their jaws around me. I ran for the middle one, stepping on his lowered head and jumping. I landed on his back. Before he could even turn his head around, I plunged my knife into the back of his neck. I expected him to whine, or for blood to come out of his wound, or any sign that he had been hurt, but nothing happened. I pulled out my knife and stabbed again in a different spot. Nothing. Not a wince, not even a drop of blood. The Arcanine turned it's head one hundred and eighty degrees around to look at me. _Holy shit!_ I sprang off of his back and landed a good distance away from it. _What the fuck?_ I was trying to figure out what had just happened. _It didn't feel pain, it didn't bleed and it can move it's body in ways no Arcanine possibly could. Either this was no Arcanine or... no. It couldn't be... that was impossible... it couldn't be... dead. Could it?_ My heart was pounding against my chest as the Arcanine advanced. Then it clicked into place. _The Espeon! It was controlling their corpses! They were only puppets, empty shells. That's why they couldn't feel anything or no blood came out. And how do you kill puppets? The puppeteer of course, or in this case, the Espeon._

I quickly scanned the room for it. I easily spotted it's bright pink fur among the mass of darker colors. I started running for it, but the Arcanine jumped in front of me._ All right. I'll have to slow these guys down first._ I focused my attention of the left one, running straight for it. He raised his paw up and swung it down at me. I swiftly dodged it and plunged my knife into his leg as I ran by, completely severing it from his body. I did the same thing to his rear one also, my knife tearing through his spongy flesh. As I expected, the Arcanine didn't even take notice that it was missing two legs, until it turned around to attack me again. It fell on the ground and tried to get back up, but fell over with each attempt. The remaning two kept up their assault. I focused on another one and tripped him up as he charged me. He fell to the ground, sliding on his face. While he was down, I rushed over to him and stomped down hard on his forepaw. I heard a satisfying snapping noise as his leg broke in two. I did the same thing to his other forepaw, splintering his bone in half. A sharp sliver of bone poked through his skin, sticking out at an odd angle. The Arcanine made to get up, but his front legs collapsed from his weight. He tried again and again, each attempt bringing the same result. I looked around to see where the third one had gotten to, not seeing it at first. All of a sudden the world flipped upside down as I was rammed hard in the back with the force of a truck. I fell face first onto the ground, feeling my nose break from the impact.

My back ached and throbbed, along with my now freely bleeding nose, from where I was hit. I slowly pushed myself up onto all fours. That was as far as I got because something tackled me a second later. I spun around underneath it, staring up into the open maw of the third Arcanine. I shot my hand up to it's throat to stop it from sinking it's teeth into my neck. I struggled against it's weight on top of me, my muscles in my left arm screaming in agony from holding back the Arcanine. My knife layed useless in my right hand. The Arcanine wouldn't budge no matter where I attacked it. It could feel no pain. It probably wouldn't even flinch if I impaled it in it's eye. I looked around for something, anyhting that would help me. Karyme, Drake and Luna were busy on the clear side of the room, fighting three pokemon at once. _I was on my own._ I noticed the Espeon emerged from it's hiding place and was staring at me struggle with the Arcanine, a small grin on his face. It stood about five feet away from where I was. It obviously thought I was going to die and it waited eargerly for the Arcanine to finish me off. I sighed and looked back up at the Arcanine_. I probably was dead_. The Arcanine was winning. It's head was getting closer and closer. I could almost feel it's sharp teeth scratching against the skin on my neck. Then my head darted back to the Espeon beside me. _Wait. The Espeon! It was right here next to me! It was a longshot, but I had to try._

I brought the knife over my head, and flung it at the Espeon. I watched it as everything seemed to slow down. The knife spun through the air towards the Espeon. It realized too late what I had done. It's eyes widened in fear as the knife sunk into the flesh on it's neck, the grin wiping from his face. The Espeon teetered on the spot, letting out an odd sputtering noise, blood trickling out of the corners of his mouth. His legs gave way and he fell to the ground. The knife was pushed through the back of his neck, as his head slumped to the ground along with the rest of his body. The moment the Espeon fell, so did the Arcanine. It's eyes turned back to their original brown and his body went limp. He fell down on top of me and I let out a little "oof" as the air was pushed out of my lungs. It must have weighed at least two hundred pounds. I heaved him off of my chest and slowly picked myself up. I looked around the vast room. Bodies littered the floor. _Luckily none of them were Karyme, Drake or Luna._

Luna was fighting off four at once. They circled around her and she stood in the middle, in a defensive fighting stance. She would wait for one of them to attack and then counter it, knocking them back to the ground. I watched as she took down each of them, hitting a vital spot and killing them as they jumped at her. Drake was still fighting off a Growlithe and an Electrike. Drake grabbed the Growlithe by it's head and smashed it against the wall as easily as if it had been a tomato. The Growlithe's headless body fell to the ground. Part of it's brain was still plastered on the wall and Drake had blood and brain fluid running down his arm. Drake turned to the Electrike, who was slowly backing away. It turned tail and ran up the sloping path, out of the mine. Karyme was the only one left still fighting. She was locked in battle with the only two remaining pokemon. Her assailants were a Houndour and an Umbreon. She deflected an attack from the Umbreon with her horns. As the Umbreon slid away across the floor, the Houndour took his chance while she was distracted. He jumped at Karyme from behind. Karyme sensed his movement and swished her sharp tail through the air. The sharp point slashed across his face, cutting right through both of his eyes. The Houndour howled in pain and stumbled around blindly, blood pouring from the gash on his face and splattering onto the ground. The Umbreon recovered itself and charged at Karyme. I expected Karyme to pull off another spectacular block, but she looked around just in time to see the Umbreon's snarling face and his jaws close on her throat. Time slowed itself again. Karyme screamed in pain and shock. Her face showed pain and horror. They were both slowly falling backwards. I saw droplets of blood flying through the air. Karyme's blood. My heart felt like it had been torn in two. The pain lashed through me like an rampaging beast. Time righted itself again and they both toppled over.

"Karyme!", I screamed out. I ran to the Espeon and roughly kicked him onto his back. I dislodged the knife from his throat and darted for Karyme, rage coursing through my veins. _Blood. I want blood. I want to tear the skin from his body. I want to slice open his neck and watch his blood spill. If anyhting happens to Karyme It would be my fault It would all be my fault._

I tackled the Umbreon off of her and pinned him down underneath me. My hand was to his throat and my other hand held my knife high above me. He raised his hackles and snarled, trying to bite my wrist. I swung my knife down and plunged it into his chest. He cryed out from the pain, blood flowing out of the wound. I withdrew the knife and stabbed him again, and again, and again. I kept impaling him with my kinfe over and over. Each time my knife sunk into him it sort of... satisfied me. It thrilled me. His warm blood trickled over my hands and some splattered onto my face. My teeth were gritted in anger. I wanted to hurt him as much as possible. My knife tore through his flesh bringing up fresh blood each time. The Umbreon's face was twisted in pain. I could tell from his expression that he was begging me to stop. Begging for death. I brought my hand up again to stab him, but something caught my wrist, dragging me backwards.

"Alex! Stop it!", Drake yelled.

"Dammit! Let me go Drake!", I nearly screamed. I ripped and pulled myself from his grip and tried to scramble back to the Umbreon. I tripped and fell to my hands and knees. I didn't make to get back up again. Tears formed in my eyes and I sobbed, realizing what had just happened. _What have I done? What kind of monster am I? How could I trust myself anymore?_ I looked over to the Umbreon's body. His eyes were still open in horror and his underside was completely unrecognizable. Blood matted his fur, trickling off of him and onto the ground. I looked back to the ground, fresh tears forming in my eyes. Luna was tending to Karyme. She had a deep gash on her neck from where the Umbreon mauled her. I heard Karyme call out "Alex." My head snapped up at her voice and I hastily made my way over to her. I knelt down in front of her.

"Karyme," I said softly. Tears were pouring down her face from the pain and a couple ran down my face as well.

"Alex, I'm scared," she said shakily, sobbing slightly. Blood was steadily oozing out of the hole in her neck. I needed to stem the blood flow or she would bleed to death. She had already lost so much. I couldn't do much for her here. We needed to get her out of here and let Nurse Joy take care of her.

"I'm here Karyme, I'm here. Don't worry, you'll be fine," I said shakily too. It killed me inside to see her suffering like this. I wiped away the tears on my face with the back of my hand and set to work. I pulled out a whole roll of gauze, unrolling it. I wasn't too worried about disnfecting the wound. Stopping the bleeding was my main priority. I took a wad of gauze and dabbed up some of the blood running down her neck. She winced as I got nearer to the actual wound. I rolled the gauze around her neck snuggly, gently lifting her head to get around the back. I heard a shuffling noise and a voice speak from behind us.

"You think we are beat?" I spun around and saw Ichigo jump down from a large excavator. "Well you still have to go through me if you wanna get out of here alive," he said, slowly walking closer to us.

"Can't you just leave us alone?", I shouted across the room. "We have no intention of hurting anyone, so why must you inflict pain on us?"

"You would not understand Master Malak's full plan. He wishes to create a perfect world. A perfect society."

"And how would he do that?", I asked. _How could he make a perfect world? He's not exactly the person to do so._ A smile curled onto Ichigo's face.

"Like I said before, you would not understand. Now hand over the girl and we can all walk out of here alive. Nobody needs to get hurt now."

"Nobody needs to get hurt?", I said surprised at him. "Look around you! Look how many have suffered under you! But you don't care do you? Just tell me why, why does Malak want Karyme so bad?"

"Hand her over now, or things will get violent!", Ichigo yelled, baring his teeth.

"You're not getting her!"

"Well then I have no choice. You must die!" I charged directly for Ichigo. I couldn't waste anymore time waiting for him to make the first move. We had to get out of here now or things will get worse for Karyme. Just before I was about to tackle him, he used Agility and disappeared. Not a half a second later, something smacked me hard in the back, making me topple over onto the ground. I scarmbled back to my feet and looked around for him. A yellow blur flashed across my vision and a second later, came out of the shadows and latched onto my arm. I yelled out from the sudden pain. I could feel his teeth sliding against my flesh, deeper and deeper into my arm. He sent a charge of electricity through his jaws and into my arm. The pain doubled as the electricity coursed through my body. I started to twitch violently. Through all of this I heard Luna shout out "Alex!" Luckily for me, my twitching arm holding the knife found Ichigo and jabbed him hard in the ribs. He yelped and let go of me at once. I fell down onto one knee, panting heavily. I could smell singed hair. My teeth gritted in pain as I looked to the bite on my left arm. It was a sick sight. Ichigo tore off a chunk as he ripped himself away from me. I could see ripped tendons and a ruptured vein, blood slowly oozing out of it. I covered it up with the sleeve of my t-shirt, it quickly getting soaked through. I looked out at Ichigo, my vision blurred around the edges from the pain. Ichigo was stumbling about, his wound openly bleeding, trickling blood onto the ground.

"Damn you human," he said quivering slightly. I pushed my pain aside and stood up. I swerved and almost fell over. Luna made a move as if to rush to try and catch me before I fell. I held up my hand to stop her as I caught myself. _This was a fight between Ichigo and I._ I picked up my knife again, readying myself for Ichigo's next attack.

"You humans always have to interfere with everything. You're too nosy," Ichigo said glaring at me.

"Ichigo." _I felt it was probably time to be reasonable. We were wasting so much time._ "Why are we even fighting? We both don't want to fight each other," I said panting now from the pain wracking my body.

"You still do not understand! Be sensible and just give Karyme to me! Nothing bad will happen to her!" I smiled weakly.

"And you think I'm going to take your word for it? Just tell me where Malak is. He's the one I'm here for anyways." Ichigo growled at me.

"You wanna know where he is do you? Fine. I'll tell you. Right now he's probably back at his den." I looked over to him stuned for words. _He wasn't here?_

"What do you mean he's back at his den?", I said, my voice becoming a little more solid.

"He was never here! At least not for long. He passed through just to make sure that our plan will wrok smoothly as he expected it to. He fled after the news was out that we had kidnapped the pokemon. He couldn't risk getting caught by the humans. He put me in charge, because I am his most trusted servant! I will gladly die before I let anything happen to him!" I finally processed what Ichigo had just said. _Not here? No, he had to be here!_ I scanned the room as if expecting him to pop his head out from behind a pile of rubble. But I knew it was hopeless. He would have revealed himself by now if he had been here. Then that means that this whole "mission" was for nothing. Sure we could have rescued the captured pokemon, but our main reason for coming here in the first place was Malak.

"So you're his best man huh?", I said losing myself a bit from my anger. "This scrawny piece of shit? Come on then. Give me your best shot!" Ichigo was infuriated. His fur crackled with electricity again and he snarled baring his teeth.

"Shut up!," he yelled at the top of his lungs. He charged up a bolt of electricity and sent it streaking towards me. I swiftly dodged the attack as it flew by me, hitting the wall and disappating. I looked up just in time to see another larger bolt heading straight for me. I jumped out of the way of this one too, it missing me narrowly. I jumped in shock as something exploded behind me. I spun around to locate the cause of it. Ichigo's Thunderbolt hit one of the excavators and ignited it, causing it to explode. Large, deep cracks appeared in the ceiling from where the blast struck it. Ichigo fired another Thunderbolt, but I was surprised when I saw it wasn't heading for me. It headed for another machine causing it to explode too._ Was he insane? This whole place could cave in if he kept this up! _I realized a second to late that I was standing feet from a machine. Ichigo looked at me and smiled evily. _If he was thinking what I think he was thinking then..._

"Fuck," I said as Ichigo sent a powerful bolt barreling towards me. I dove out of the way as the truck exploded, bathing me in warmth and smoke. I landed on the ground on my stomach. Little pebbles rained down on me and above me I heard a deep cracking noise. I looked up and saw several large rocks break away from the ceiling. I covered the back of my neck and braced myself. The boulders smashed down next to me, causing the ground to shake violently. Once they stopped I slowly looked up. Part of the ceiling above me was missing and the boulders luckily missed me, littering the ground around me. I stood up, weaving my way out of the boulders until I caught sight of Ichigo again. He was standing on the far side of the room, away from the cracked ceiling. _His plan was clear to me now. He wanted to bury me alive. Sick bastard._ He frowned at me, obviously disappointed that I was still alive. He charged up another electric attack, but before he could even discharge it, the ground shook violently. It left just as fast as it had come. It kind of felt like an earthquake, but only four seconds long. The noise of shattering rock echoed around the room. I looked up at the ceiling and saw that it was one huge boulder. It cracked from one side of the room to the other, in one long deep crack. The noise stopped and everything was silent again. Ichigo looked back down at me and started laughing, having just avoided a huge disaster. Then all of a sudden the noise returned with full force and the ceiling on Ichigo's side of the room caved in, rocks raining down everywhere. Ichigo looked up at the ceiling again and back down at me. I saw him smile just before the rocks crashed down on him. There was a sickening crunch and he disappeared from view. I stared at the place I last saw him. _Poor guy, even if he was evil._ It was then that I noticed the ceiling above us started to crack too. I whipped around to look at Karyme, Drake and Luna.

"Move! This place is coming down!", I yelled at the three of them. They all hastily turned around and sprinted for the exit Drake was running with Luna ahead of Karyme. I brought up the rear, shielding my eyes with my hands from the dust and falling rocks. Ahead of me Karyme was running after Drake and Luna. She suddenly tripped over a rock protruding out of the ground, falling onto her side and sliding on the hard ground. I ran up to her and quickly scooped her up in my arms. She whimpered slightly and buried her head in my chest. The wound on my arm burned from Karyme's weight, but pushed through it running flat out now. Drake and Luna were far ahead of us. We came around a bend in the tunnel and saw the exit. Light was filtering into the mine, ocassionaly obscured by a falling rock. More and more boulders were raining down beside us and some right in front of us. The unexpected changes in course, as we had to run around rocks now, slowed us further. I cryed out in pain as a rock fell onto my head. I swerved slightly, little white stars appearing in my vision. I pushed myself harder now. _We were almost there._ The light from the exit was dimming as rocks covered it up slowly. _No. We were so close. We had to make it out._ I ran, my legs screaming in protest, but still I ran. The boulders were piling up around us. _We were almost there. Just a bit further._ The rocks kept piling up over the exit until only a ray of light could be seen. I frowned._ We weren't going to make it out._

"Karyme, I'm sorry," I said softly, hugging her tightly to me as the final rock dropped over the entrance plunging us into darkness...

**End Notes:** UH-OH! Looks like I've done it again! What a cliffhanger eh? Well just to let you know again there will be one more chapter of part one, so stick around for it! I can't believe I just wrote that! I think I have a sick mind. Don't worry though, I only use it for writing my fics! **Please comment on this chapter. Comments and flames accepted. I love getting comments and feedback from my readers. Send suggestions on how I can improve my story or just comment if you liked it. However if you completely depised it, send death threats to me via PM's. Lol**


	10. Epilogue: Renewal

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 10:**** Epilogue: Renewal**

**Author Notes: **After you get done reading, please read the end notes. I make an important announcement... somewhat.So here's the final installment of part one. I'm sorry for the length of it and those who were expecting a regular length chapter. I just wanted to write something short to tie up the loose ends, but not ALL of them, if you know what I mean. Enough of my babbling now, you know which characters I own, so let's get on with the chapter already!

A TV flared to life in a darkened room. It's occupant sat lazily down on the sofa. He picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels, looking for something decent to watch. There was a golf match, a late night talk show, an old sitcom, and a TV ad for a vaccum cleaner.There was nothing good on, so he eventually settled on the news. A news anchor was sitting behind a desk talking to a reporter out in the field. It was another stupid update on that crazy mine in Oreburgh. The man cracked open a can of beer and settled in to the couch.

"...And behind me you can now see the remains of the once widely known Oreburgh Mine. Hours ago the whole mine came crashing down after what experts say was a siesmic event deep in the mine. They believe it to be an explosion of some sort, triggered by unknown sources. A local trainer and his pokemon entered the mine about six hours ago to try and rescue the hostage pokemon being held captive. Two of his pokemon have already made it out safely." The camera switched to a Charizard and a Lucario standing among the onlookers. The Lucario was crying into the chest of the Charizard, tears flowing down her cheeks in glossy streaks. The Charizard was holding onto her tightly, rubbing her back softly and a look of deep concern on his face. "Unfortunately for the trainer and his Houndoom, the mine collapsed before the two could make it out. The police believe that he may be dead but, they say the trainer may have a shred of hope if he was able to escape the heavy boulders. The crew will continue to dig late into the night hoping they will find the two." The camera switched again to the ruined entrance of the mine. A whole group of workers were digging into the pile of rock and rubble. Progress was excruciatingly slow because of the size of some of the boulders. One of the digging workers suddenly stood up fully and yelled something at the crowd of people below that the camera didn't quite pick up. The crowd started getting noisier.

"Wait a minute. It appears that one of the workers found something. Hold on... Yes! He's found the trainer and he's alive! This is truly remarkable!" The camera zoomed in to the guy at the top of the mountain of boulders. He was shifting rocks aside, as the other workers climbed up to him, helping out too. The man reached down into the hole in the rocks he had made and looked like he was pulling something up. Up out of the hole came a mess of straggly brown hair along with deep green eyes. A body followed and in his arms, he was holding a Houndoom. The crowd below erupted in cheers and applause as the trainer slowly descended the pile of boulders, the Houndoom still in his arms. He looked in real bad shape. His shirt was torn and his forehead was bleeding, blood trickling down his cheek in a thin line. A deep gash on his upper left arm was also visible. It looked pretty nasty. His Houndoom wasn't doing to good either. It was bandaged up around the neck and some cuts could be seen along it's back, but it was still licking his neck in an affectionate way. Once he got down to the bottom, his Lucario and Charizard rushed over to him and embraced him in a tight hug.

"This is truly a heart-warming moment. I'll be here all night, reporting for Jubilife City News." The camera switched back to the anchor in the studio.

"Indeed it is Meredith. Coming up next, a boy saves his pokemon from a gang in Littleroot Town, Hoenn. Stayed tuned to-." The TV flickered off as the man crumpled up his empty beer can and threw it into the trash. He got up off of the sofa and grabbed his coat off of the kitchen table. After putting it on and zipping it up, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door, closing it behind him. The noise from the door slamming died away and all was quiet once again...

**End Notes:** So everyone is safe now. Just to let you know that guy watching the news had nothing to do with the story. I just wanted to view it as like a News broadcast. This is officially the end of part one. It's been about six months since I wrote the Prologue. Thank you to all who have read, reviewed and stuck with me up until now. This is not the end. I hope you all will still be here when I get back for part two! As for part two I am going to take a little break from writing just so I can kinda catch up with myself. I'll still be around so I won't like "disappear" from the face of the earth or anything. So anyways, I guess I'll see you guys later!


	11. Part Two Prologue: Karyme's Wish

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Part Two**

**Chapter 11:**** Prologue: Karyme's Wish**

**Author Notes:** Hey guys! I'm back! Welcome to part two of Karyme: The Perfect Love. I'm really glad to be updating again! I'll be updating regularly from now on. Now first things first. I will do things a bit different this part, including different viewpoints, I'm going to add a lot more characters in and recaps will be added. Secondly I lost a bet recently with Wolvesatyourdoor, so I have to say this. "I am a tool, I have always been a tool, I love tools, I want to be a tool forever." I'm just as stumped as you to what I have just said....... Anyways! I do not own anything I write about except for my OC's, which by now you should know as I have mentioned them all numerously. If I did, then I wouldn't be writing fan fiction now, would I? Enjoy.

**Recap:** Alex escaped the Oreburgh mine intact with Karyme and was reunited with Drake and Luna.

A pair of sharp canine eyes stared through the thick underbrush. Her prey, a human by the name of Alex, was standing next to a tall tree, hiding. He knew she was near and quietly stalking him. He stared around nervously, scanning the trees for any sight of her. He stood up and quietly crept behind another hiding place. The little canine followed him stealthily, being careful not to trod on any crunchy leaves or fallen twigs. Her blue and black fur melted in perfectly with the shadows. She crouched down low, zeroing in on her prey. Alex was still looking around him for any sign of her, the odd sensation of being watched creeping up his spine. The little canine's ears swiveled back and forth, waiting for him to turn his back to her so she could attack. Alex was still looking around, slowly turning on the spot. The canine's muscles tensed up and she pounced out of the bushes, flying through the air towards the human. He looked around hearing the noise, but it was already too late to put up any kind of defense to stop her. The only thing he could do was scream, just before her sharp little teeth sank into his shoulder. A centimeter from completing her attack, she put her paws out in front of her and landed lightly on his shoulder. She wrapped her tiny paws around his neck and hugged him. Then she jumped down onto the ground, landing gracefully on her hind paws.

"How'd I do Uncle Alex, how'd I do?", she asked jumping up and down excitedly.

"Very good Mytka. The only thing I would have changed was going for my neck instead of my shoulder. The neck is everybody's weak point."

"Aww, can we try again?", she said, still bouncing up and down.

"I think it's time to head back. It'll be dark soon," I said turning around and heading back to the campsite, Mytka following me.

"Can we come back and try again tomorrow? Can we, can we please?"

"If we have time, sure."

"Yay! I'll get it right next time!"

_Oh, hey. Didn't notice you there. Long time no see, huh? It's been a long time since we were in that mine. About a whole year. I was twenty years old now. You've already met Mytka I see. She's Drake and Luna's kid. I guess that sorta makes me her uncle. She's a little Riolu and about as explosive as a stick of dynomite. Drake and Luna asked me to watch her so they can have some "alone time." I didn't blame them though. Ever sinced she hatched, she needed to have a constant eye on her, because there's no telling what she will do next. Karyme however was currently back at the tent. She wasn't exactly fit right now to be "up and at it." We just came through Hearthome City, heading towards Solaceon Town. We battled the Gym Leader and I now had four badges. I don't know why I continued to collect them, but I did. Well, Karyme was battling with a Gengar and she got hit with a powerful Shadow Ball attack. It sent her smashing into the wall and her hind paw broke from the impact. So she was a back at the tent, resting. Besides I had promised Mytka that we would practice fighting skills today. _We walked back into camp and the moment Mytka saw the tent, she raced ahead to it. She disappeared inside and all I heard was her squeal "Aunt Karyme!" The next thing I heard was Karyme let out an "oof." I smiled. Mytka was always the affectionate type. I brushed past the tent flap and entered the tent. Karyme was lying down on the far side of the tent, her paw all bandaged up. _I hated those bandages._ Mytka was sitting on her back, telling her about all of the stuff she and I did today. Karyme turned her head to look at me as I entered.

"Hey Alex. I'm glad you're back. I was getting a bit lonely here by myself," she said shfting slightly. I leaned down and kissed her deeply. Mytka covered her eyes with her paws. We broke away and I said, "Okay, it's safe now Mytka." Mytka uncovered her eyes and climbed down from Karyme's back.

"Can I go play with the Zigzagoon Aunt Karyme?", Mytka asked, bouncing up and down again.

"Of course Mytka. We'll come outside with you." Karyme stood up on her three good paws, wincing slightly as her injured one brushed the ground. Karyme, along with my help, limped out of the tent. Her fur and horns gleamed in the dying sun. _I had forgotten just how beautiful she looked in the sunlight. Why are Houndoom night pokemon if they look this good in the sun?_ We were pitched in a very small clearing so Mytka wouldn't wander too far. Karyme and I retreated to a thick oak tree and sat down at the base. I leaned my back against it and let out a sigh of relief. _It felt good to take a load off after standing up all day._ Karyme laid down next to me and rested her head on my lap. I slowly stroked the fur on the back of her neck. She loved it when I did this. Karyme sighed too, closing her eyes in relaxation. We sat there for a while, the sun disappearing slowly below the horizon. Mytka played with some of the wild Zigzagoon at the edge of the trees. The wild pokemon were too afraid to come out into the clearing with me there. Their laughter echoed around the clearing. A little after dusk I heard a soft sound growing steadily louder. Karyme looked up first, hearing the sound before me. I eventually made it out as a pair of flapping wings. I looked up into the sky and saw Drake flying through the sky, Luna in his arms. They slowly descended, touching down in the middle of the clearing. Drake let down Luna lightly on her feet.

"Mommy! Daddy!", Mytka shouted excitedly running over to them and jumping into her mother's arms.

"Mytka! Did you have fun with Aunt Karyme and Uncle Alex?", Luna asked hugging her tightly.

"We practiced in the woods! I got him this time! He was so scared!"

"Hey! I was not! I was adding to the effect!", I said. Mytka stuck out her tongue at me and I responded by sticking out mine as well. Luna gave her a kiss on her forehead and set her down on the ground. Mytka then jumped onto Drake.

"Daddy!", she said giving Drake a hug, fitting as much of her arms around him as she could.

"How's my little girl doing?", Drake asked as he hugged her back. He let go of her and Mytka climbed up onto his shoulder. She continued on right up the back of his neck, until she was perched on top of his head. Drake played along with Mytka's little game. Drake turned his head this way and that, as if looking for something.

"Where did Mytka go? She vanished! She's gotta be here somewhere. Mytka! Mytka!" Mytka covered her mouth with her paw, trying to stiffle a giggle. Drake turned his eyes upward, looking at her. "There she is! Come here you!" Drake reached up and picked Mytka up off of his head. He cradled her in his arm and tickled her in the stomach.

"Daddy!", she managed to get out in between her uncontrolable giggling. She was squirming around in his grip. He set her down on the ground and she ran off to play with the Zigzagoon again. Luna and Drake walked over to us. Karyme and I stood up to greet them.

"Luna. How was your day?", I asked giving Luna a hug.

"It was great," she said pulling apart from me. "Thank you again for watching Mytka. We're so grateful."

"Hey, it's no problem. Besides Mytka and I had fun!"

"Yeah, she seems to be very fond of you. Thanks again though." She and Karyme walked over to the pile of wood I had set up earlier for a campfire, chatting about Luna's day. Karyme shot a small jet of flame, igniting it and they sat down next to the fire, laughing at soemthing Luna said. Drake walked up to me now.

"Hey Alex."

"Sup Drake," I said holding my hand out. He slapped his hand against mine, grasping it slightly before letting go. (crap, I can't explain it good. It's kinda like how two gangsters meet. They grasp hands and say something like, "Sup dude" then they bump shoulders. It's like that, except without the bumping shoulders part.)

"So how was Mytka? Did she behave?", Drake asked as we walked over to the fire, sitting down next to Luna and Karyme.

"She can be a handful at times, but she was fine. We went out into the forest and practiced some of her fighting skills."

"How'd she do?"

"She was just short of amazing. She's a sneaky little one." We sat around the fire as darkness settled around us. We talked casually for a couple of hours. The Linoone came and called back the Zigzagoon to their dens for the night. Mytka came over and sat in Luna's lap. A cool breeze whipped around us chilling us all. Karyme leaned into me for warmth and I wrapped an arm around her pulling her in even closer._ We just came out of a long winter. Today was March 14th. The beginning of spring. We were just now feeling the last remnants of the cold weather._ Mytka's head drooped and she laid down on Luna's lap, curling up snuggly.

"Looks like someone's getting sleepy," Luna said. She carefully picked up Mytka and carried her over to the tent, laying her down inside.

"I think I'm going to turn in too," Luna said, sticking her head out of the tent. "Are you coming too Drake?" _I noticed that this wasn't a question. She was actually saying, "You're coming in with me now Drake, or else."_ Drake glanced over at me. He looked like he really wanted to stay and talk some more. Nevertheless, he stood up and said, "Yes, I'm coming." (...............................WHIPPED!) He looked back at Karyme and I as he walked back into the tent.

"Don't stay up too late you guys," he said sarcastically before disappearing into the tent.

"Hey Luna. There's some fresh blankets underneath my backpack," I said turning around and looking at her.

"All right. Thank you Alex. 'Night." She disappeared inside the tent also. I sat there with Karyme, gazing into the dancing flames of the campfire. I turned my head to look at her and pushed my lips up against her's. She kissed me back, but something was wrong. She didn't have as much passion as she usually did. I pulled apart and gazed deeply into her eyes, as if trying to look inside her and see what was up.

"What's wrong Karyme? Is something the matter?", I asked softly.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," Karyme said, brushing it aside. I wasn't entirely convinced.

"Karyme, if somethings bugging you, tell me what's up. There's no need to be shy about anything."

"No really, it's nothing. It was a stupid idea anyway." I gave her a brief kiss and pulled her tightly to me in a two-armed hug.

"Come on now. What's the matter?" She sighed and looked away from me. After a pause, she spoke again.

"All right, I'll tell you," she said turning to look back at me. "I've been thinking about this for a while now. Ever since Drake and Luna had Mytka, it made me wonder." She started off slow and a bit hesitantly, but quickly regained her composure. "It made me wonder if we could ever have pups of our own." _It hit me like a brick wall. Pups. I never even considered that. Never thought about it. Wow. Karyme wanted pups. Just the thought of it made me wonder too. Could I be a father? Was I really ready for this? Did I even want it? Then a couple of other questions formed in my head. Was it possible for Karyme and I to have pups? Would it work?_

"See? I told you it was a stupid idea," Karyme said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"What? No! I think it's a great idea!" Something about the look on my face made Karyme doubt me. I was still deep in thought.

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Karyme. I think it's a wonderful idea. I love it, and I love you too." Karyme's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Oh do you really Alex?", she said leaning back into me and rubbing her head against my chest. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" (Geez, everybody just seems to be thanking Alex a lot.) I hugged her tightly to me. _We were going to have pups! Or were we? If it was possible._ The thoughts swirled around inside my head. I kept going back and forth. One minute I was definite it was possible. The next, I wasn't so sure anymore. I just couldn't decide on an answer. The one way to know for sure is to look it up in a book or something, or ask someone who knew. I decided to just look it up on my Pokenav. It had a built in computer that could connect to the internet anywhere. Karyme gave a wide yawn. It would have to wait until tomorrow. Karyme and I both crawled into the tent. I got into my sleeping bag and Karyme slid in after me_. It was always so cozy sleeping with her. Her body was so warm_. Karyme and I stared into each other's eyes. She smiled, leaning in to kiss me. The last thing I felt before I drifted off to sleep, were her lips leaving mine, her hot breath on my face and her whispering into my ear, "I love you Alex."

**End Notes:** All right so first chapter of part two. Tell me what you think about Karyme having pups or what you think of about Mytka. It really helps me write better, cause I know what you guys like and don't like. I'll be updating regularly now that I'm back. Oh, and I'll explain everything about pokemon breeding in the next chapter. So leave a review and I hope to see you all soon!


	12. Tears of Love

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 12:**** Tears of Love**

**Author Notes:** Hey guys! Sorry this one took a bit longer for me to get out. I wanted to get it out sooner than this but I had to go to the hospital. See I was crushed... by all of your guy's reviews! 17 reviews for one chapter! Wow! And 11,000 hits! Glad to see people like my story :D Okay, so anyways. Like I said last chapter, I would explain to everybody about pokemon mating in this one. It's a bit different than your usual "Drop-off-in-the-day-care-and-ride-your-bike-around-for-five-minutes" routine. So I'll let the chapter explain that more. As usual *sigh* I own Alex, Karyme, Jade, Luna, Drake, Mytka, and Malak. MINE! But if you guys want, I can share if you ask first! Chapter time! Oh I almost forgot, I'm not responsible for anyone's head exploding from cheesiness. Enjoy!

**Recap:** Year after end of part one, Mytka is introduced, Karyme wants to have pups.

I didn't know for sure if having pups was possible or not. I mean in Trainer's School we of course talked about pokemon breeding along with the whole "When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much" speech. We even talked about inter-species pokemon breeding. When two different pokemon of opposite gender mate, they can produce offspring, but on some restrictions. The offspring become either one of the two parenting pokemon and the species of the pokemon is determined completely by chance. Just like gender. We also learned about the dangers of this. The two mating pokemon must be roughly the same size. For example, say a Tyranitar and a Delcatty mated with the Delcatty as the female. If the egg was the same species as the mothering pokemon then everything would be fine. So if the egg was a Skitty egg then it would be all okay. But say the egg was a Larvitar egg. The Delcatty would... well to put it simple, the Delcatty would burst from the sheer size of the egg. Now if it was the other way around with the Tyranitar as the female and the Delcatty as the male, the consequences would be different. Again, if the egg was a Larvitar egg, everything would be fine. But should the egg be a Skitty egg, the egg, being so small, would get crushed during birth from the strength of the Tyranitar's birth canal muscles contracting.

This morning I was lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling of the tent, thinking this all through my head. I folded my hands behind my head. It was still the early hours of the morning. I could see a golden tinge on the horizon peeking in through the tent flap. I looked to my left and saw Karyme was sidled up next to me, still fast asleep. _I loved the way she slept. She was so peaceful. It made you just want to cuddle up with her._ I grinned and looked over the top of her body. Everyone else was still asleep. Well, everyone except for Mytka of course. Her boundless energy had her already awake. She was off in the corner of the tent entertaining herself quietly, waiting for the others to wake up. She was sprawled out on her back. She would raise her hind paws up into the air and then reached out to touch them with her forepaws. Then she would let her paws fall to her side and she would start over again. She looked over at me and upon seeing me awake bounded to her feet. She padded over to me and slipped into the sleeping bag in between Karyme and I, which I found incredible, considering how close Karyme was to me.

"You're finally awake Uncle Alex!", Mytka said just above a whisper.

"Morning Mytka," I said, yawning and stretching my arms above my head. I felt a satisfying pop in my shoulders and upper back.

"Eew, you're stinky Uncle Alex," Mytka said covering her nose with her paws. I hadn't noticed I accidently exposed my armpit to Mytka when I stretched. I put my arms back own at my sides.

"Oops, I guess I haven't showered since we were in Hearthome City. I guess a bath is my first priority today." _Make that second. Checking my Pokenav was first._ Karyme shuffled beside us and awoke, yawning widely. She opened her eyes and looked down beside us at Mytka.

"Well what's this? Who's here?," she said smiling and nuzzling Mytka gently.

"Hi Aunt Karyme!", Mytka said nuzzling her back.

"Hey, what about me?", I said jokingly. Karyme looked up at me.

"Oh good morning to you too Alex," she said in a voice suited for talking to a two-year-old. I smiled too and reached my hand over, placing it on her back. I pulled her closer to me and kissed her deeply. Mytka was smothered between us.

"Eeeeeeew! Help me!" Karyme and I broke apart and chuckled at Mytka, moving away a little to give Mytka some room. I looked up as I heard Luna stir. She raised her head up and looked down in front of her. Then she looked around the tent again and again, scanning it quicker each time more frantically. Then she looked to me, seeing I was awake.

"Where's Mytka?" Her voice was panicky and her eyes were wide. I reached into our sleeping bag and grabbed Mytka around the middle, pulling her out.

"Here I am!", Mytka said, extending her arms to each side, as if she had just performed a magic trick.

"Oh, thank goodness. I got scared there for a second," Luna said exhaling satisfyingly. Drake stirred next to her also.

"What's with all of the commotion," Drake said groggily, his eyes still closed. "It's too early for this. I'm still sleeping." I set down Mytka on her feet and she ran over to her parents, jumping on Drake's stomach. Drake let out an "oof" and his eyes snapped open. "Well I guess I'm not anymore," Drake said as Mytka hugged him.

I made breakfast for everyone and gulped down my portion quickly. I retreated underneath the large oak tree from last night. After digging around in my bag, I pulled out my Pokenav. I was looking for about five minutes, when I came across an article written by the famous researcher Bill. It was titled "Pokemon Reproduction and Human Involvement." It went on explaining how pokemon reproduce pokemon breeding or "artificial reproduction" as Bill called it, and of course the regulations of pokemon breeding. I scrolled down until I found what I was looking for.

"...Many scientists over the years have contemplated the theory of Pokemon-Human reproduction. Physiologists conducted an experiment in 2003 to either prove or disprove this theory. There were fifty test subjects and out of those fifty, none of them were able to produce offspring. The theory was struck down. It's been concluded that it's impossible for pokemon and humans to reproduce." I finished reading and literally felt myself deflate._ I mean I hadn't gotten my hopes up, but I thought that there might have been at least a little chance that it was possible._ I was just about to turn off the pokenav when a sentence caught my eye. I continued reading. "...About a year ago, I delved back into this theory, determined to find a possible way. My research, however, all came back to the same roadblock. Genetics. For offspring to be produced, each parent must donate genes. This is a basis in biology. Now you can probably see the problem already. A human's and pokemon's genetic makeup is totally different, so even if offspring was produced, it would be neither pokemon, nor human, but both. An anthromorph. This was impossible, as it was against the law to create a new species. So I thought, what if we took a different route instead? What if we were able to change the genes for a short period of time? Now in the world of biogenetics, the genes make up certain traits and those traits make up your own unique DNA. There are also dominant genes and recessive genes. So I thought, what if I applied a "sedative" if you would call it that to the human counterpart's dominant genes? Then I would take apart their DNA and replace all of the recessive genes with the pokemon counterpart's genes. The sedative would negate the dominant genes for a short period of time, allowing the recessive genes to take form. This in turn would "transform" the human into a pokemon, therefore enabling them to reproduce. Again, after a short period of time, the "sedative" wears off and the dominant genes become visible once again. I have tested my theory on a few volunteer subjects and their pokemon. Positive results came back seventy percent of the time."

I read on about how the procedure was performed. All you needed was a sample of the pokemon's DNA you wanted to reproduce with. Like a hair or drop of blood. It didn't cost anything, as it was still experimental. It also said that once you have this done, you cannot have children with another human, because it could create a mutilated child. _Could I really give all of this up for Karyme? I mean I would never be able to have kids of my own. But Karyme was probably going to be the only love of my life._ I made up my mind. This is what I was going to do. Bill however, was searching for volunteers. He was traveling throughout the regions, giving seminars to audiences in various cities, explaining his findings to anyone who would listen. I cast my eye down the long list of his seminar dates. My eye caught one date in paticular. March 17th - Westfield City, Leynoh. _That was in two days. Maybe we could-_

"Alex?" My thoughts were interupted by a voice. I quickly shut my Pokenav and looked up into the face of the owner. Standing above me was Karyme. "What are you doing over here by yourself?" _I didn't want Karyme to know of my plan. I was going to keep it as a surprise for her. Oh and what a surprise it'll be. All I have to do is act natural._

"Nothing. Thinking." _Stupid. That was probably the most stupid thing I've ever said._

"Oh? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how beautiful you are." _I swear I just mentally smacked myself. _Karyme giggled and plopped herself down beside me.

"Oh you," she said, licking me on the cheek. "You're such a charmer."

"Yes I am. Do I do a good job?"

"Mmhmm," she replied, kissing me on the cheek. "You've bewitched me." We lay there together, Karyme leaning against me. After about a minute I spoke again.

"Hey Karyme?" Karyme turned her head and looked up into my eyes. "What would you think if we went back to Leynoh?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"It really doesn't matter to me. I mean, I'll go wherever you go. But why do you want to go back?" A jolt shot through my body. _I wasn't ready for that question._

"Oh, well, umm. I was thinking, umm. I was thinking that..." _Come on Alex, think!_ "That we could go see my mother."_ Phew._

"Oooo, that sounds like a great idea! I've never met your mom before. What's she like?"

"Oh you know, typical mom. Kind, caring." _Overprotective, loves to worry._ "She's great."

"When are we leaving?"

"Actually, I was thinking that tomorrow morning we could leave." Karyme leaned up and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

"Sounds great," she said after pulling away. We carried on through the day and I made some quick sandwiches for lunch. After lunch, we decided to head on down to the nearby lake. There was one problem I had over looked though. It was mid-March. The lake was still probably chilly.

We all stood at the edge of the water, staring into it's depths. I stuck a toe in to check it's temperature. _Ice. Cold._

"So who wants to go first?", I said jokingly, looking around at the others.

"What? Is Alex afraid of the cold water? Is Alex a little girly-girl?", Drake said mockingly.

"Fine, I'll go first. I'll show you who's a girly-girl." I turned to face the water and stared at it as if asking it politely to warm up.

"Well? What are you waiting for?", Drake said a grin curling onto his face.

"I'm getting ready!", I said, turning to look back at him. "Just hold on!" Drake folded his arms over his chest, his grin widening. I turned back around and clapped my hands together. I had a battle with myself inside my head. _Jump already!_ It's cold. _It'll be quick, just get it over with!_ But it's cold. _You'll get used to it._ Didn't you hear me? It's cold. _Girly-girl._ Fine! I'm going! All right, _one_. I crouched down. _Two._ I put my hands out in front of me in a diving position. _Thr-._ Just then, a blue blur streaked passed me yelling, "cannonball!", and jumping into the lake. Water splashed all of us in an icy spray. Mytka's head resurfaced on the water and she started swimming back to us. Drake doubled up laughing._ I couldn't see what was so funny. He was just as wet as any of us._

"Oho! Wow! That's hilarious! Mytka's less of a girly-girl than you are, Alex!" I bent down and cupped my hands together, splashing Drake full in the face with water. "Oh so that's how you want to play, huh?" Drake reached over and grabbed me around the waist, lifting me up into the air.

"Drake! What are you-? Put me down!" Drake grinned again.

"Not until you've had a little 'dip'." He spread his wings and flew out over the lake. He dropped me from about fifteen feet above the water.

"No, no, no, NOO!", I yelled as I fell, my arms and legs flailing out to the side. I splashed into the water. The first thing my brain registered was, that it was cold. The second thing, was that I was wet. The water washed over me, through my hair and over my skin. It took me a second to realize that I needed air. I swam up and my head broke the surface. I gulped down some air and looked skyward, seeing Drake bobbing up and down with the beating of his wings.

"I'll get you back Drake!", I said, shaking my fist stupidly and non-threateningly at him._ Oh well, at least I was in the water._ Drake gave a merry wave and headed back to shore with Luna. Karyme jumped in and started swimming for me. She was a pretty decent swimmer, considering she had paws. Karyme swam up in front of me and stood on her hind legs. (she's about as tall as Alex when she stands up like this.) A breeze whipped up around us. I shivered.

"Brrr. It' still cold though," I said rubbing my forearms to warm up.

"Well I think I know a way we can keep warm," Karyme said seductively. A second later I felt her paw rub against my genitals.

"Woah, not here with everyone watching," I said a bit wary. Karyme moved herself closer to me.

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun," she said, drawing out fun in a tempting way. As she said this she rubbed her lower regions over my crotch, back and forth a couple of times. I could feel her heat radiating off of her, most of it coming from between her legs._ She was probably in heat right now, that's why she's acting like this. I'd just have to get her off to relieve her need._

"All right, but nothing major. I don't want Drake and Luna getting supicious." A wild expression found it's way onto her face. I moved my hands down in between her legs and rubbed my palm over her crotch. She murred and cooed from my massaging treatment. I drew a single finger down her parting in one long stroke. Her face glazed over. She tilited her head back and softly moaned. I smiled slightly. Suddenly I felt something reach down my swimming trunks and rub over my limp member. Karyme proceded to pull off the shorts in her attempt to get to my manhood. She pushed my member up against my body and rubbed it back and forth. I quickly became aroused from Karyme's attention. I worked my finger around Karyme's hole. Eventually I slipped it in and wriggled it around, moving deeper into her. Karyme shivered. I couldn't tell if it was from the cold water or from the pleasure. Karyme somehow wrapped her paw around my member and started to pump up and down. With every soft moan that would escape her lips, she would pump a little bit harder and faster. I slipped another finger into Karyme, trying to build her pleasure up to climax. I twisted and turned my fingers around inside of her, as if digging for something. Karyme was moaning in between panting and panting in between moaning. She worked my member with her paw. Her speed was incredible. Pleasure shot through all of the nerves in my body. I moaned too, along aith Karyme. I could tell she was getting close. My fingers were sliding with the great lubrication she produced. I felt my own climax building up inside of me, until I hit a peak. My seed shot out into the water around us. My body shook with the pleasure literally flowing through my veins. My fingers still moved around inside of Karyme. I think Karyme needed just a little bit more to push her over the edge. I drew in a deep breath and submerged myself beneath the water. I moved my mouth to her folds and nibbled at her outer lips playfully. Karyme bucked her hips forward into my face, my mouth colliding with her sex. I laughed inside my head at Karyme._ She always loved it when I did this._ I placed my hands over her thighs to spread her legs even further apart. I flicked my tongue over her entrance. I felt Karyme shiver again. (LOL! Try and picture what this looks like right now above the water!) Slowly I slipped in my tongue, swirling it around inside her hole. I pushed back and forth and Karyme's hips mimicked my tongue movements. Then Karyme's walls tightened._ She was climaxing._ I quickly plastered my lips over her entrance. Her juice gushed into my open mouth._ It was so sweet._ I brought myself back to the surface and gulped down some fresh air. That was short lived, as a moment later Karyme caught my lips in a kiss. Her tongue flitted over a trace of her own juice on my lips as she pulled away. She wrapped her paws around my back and closed the space between us.

"Thank you Alex," she said soflty, rubbing her head against my chest.

"Hey, you know you're my number one girl. I'd do anything for you," I said rubbing my hands over the back of her neck. Karyme looked up into my face, her eyes glistening.

"That means so much to me. Will you stay with me forever?"

"Forever and ever," I responded. Karyme smiled a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Forever and ever," she repeated softly. Our lips met again in another kiss...

I dropped my swimming gear with a splat next to the empty fire-pit, when we got back to camp. We were all freezing from the cold water and from the breeze blowing against our damp fur and hair.

"All right, let's make something to eat," I said addressing everyone. I opened my backpack and dug around, looking for something to eat. Only, there wasn't anything in there.

"Oh, darn. I forgot I used up the rest of our food for lunch," I said looking over my shoulder at Luna, who was right behind me.

"No worries," she said casually. "We can just go find some berries to eat."

"Okay, but we'll need at least a hundred extra. Who knows how much Drake can eat," I said jokingly. Drake slugged me playfully on the arm._ Well, playfully for a Charizard at least._

"Hey! You better watch it before I get too hungry and eat you!", Drake said cracking a smile.

"Ok, ok. Just kidding," I said rubbing the spot where he made contact. "All right let's split up to make this faster. Drake, Luna and Mytka, you'll go look for some berries and Karyme and I'll get some firewood."

"Agreed," Drake said. The three of them walked off into the trees. I looked around for Karyme. _ To tell you the truth I hadn't seen her since we got back._ Suddenly I felt a sharp pain shoot through me. _Dammit, there's that pain again. But that means..._ I heard a groan from the tent. I looked over at the tent and saw Karyme come limping out. She looked pale and her eyes were sunken. She was shaking pretty badly, from head to foot. She started limping towards me. After a couple of steps she stopped, looking up at me.

"Alex...," she said. Her voice was raspy. As if she hadn't had a drink of water in a week. Her legs gave out and she fell to the ground.

"Karyme? Karyme!" I grabbed my backpack and dashed over to her. "Oh no. No, no, no, no," I said to myself. I pulled one of my old T-Shirts out of my backpack, along with a small canteen of water. I dumped the contents of the canteen on the shirt and tossed the empty container aside. Karyme's body was limp and unmoving. I feared the worst. "Karyme? Please. Please wake up Karyme. Don't do this to me." I dabbed the damp shirt over her forehead lightly. I didn't know what good it would do, but I did it anyways. A tear escaped my eyes as I looked down at her, her head cradled in my arms. "Come on Karyme. You gotta wake up." A couple more tears rolled down my cheeks, dripping off onto Karyme's muzzle. I looked over her body and my attention drew to a wound on her flank. I gently laid down Karyme's head, slipping the T-Shirt underneath it. I examined the wound. It was a puffed up bit of skin that was oozing a thick green liquid. It sort of looked like an oversized zit._ But what was it?_

Then my mind shifted back, back to when I was in Trainer's School. I sat behind a fading gray desk. Up at the front of the room was a balding, middle-aged man, trying to give a lecture to the students. In front of me was a sheet of paper that I was doodling on. I was mindlessy drawing Jade's face on the paper I was supposed to be taking notes on. I held my head in my left hand with my elbow propped up on the desk. I was barely remaining in the land of the living, but the teacher gave no notice and droned on.

"...And so this type of wound is infected with poison after being jabbed by a sharp sting, claw, horn, or tooth," the teacher said, showing the class a picture on the projection screen. "Does anybody know what attack most commonly causes this type of wound?" He might have gotten more of a response if he asked his desk the same question. Nobody even took notice that he had asked a question. "How about you Alex?" I picked my head up a little, hearing my name.

"Ummm, a Bite attack?" The teacher sighed and gave me the correct answer.

"The most common attack is-," my mind jolted back to the present.

"Poison Sting," I said, finishing the sentence for him. I grabbed my backpack again and pushed through it. "Antidote, antidote, come on," I said to myself. I finally located an antidote and took it out. After unscrewing the cap, I sprayed three times on the wound. After a couple of seconds, the wound returned to normal skin and fur. I stared at Karyme's face, waiting for her to open her eyes. _Karyme... please Karyme._ I waited, the suspense boring into me._ If it didn't work..._ Then I saw movement. Her eyes twitched and she slowly opened her eyes again. "Karyme," I whispered. I wrapped my arms around her neck and held her tightly to my chest. A few more tears of relief wove their way down my cheeks and melted into Karyme's fur.

"Wh-what happened?", Karyme asked.

"You were stung by something and poisoned," I explained. Karyme, to my surprised, blushed.

"Really? I thought that was nothing," she said, boviously shocked by this news.

"Wait, what are you talking about," I said, puzzled.

"When we were in the lake, I got stung by a Tentacool."

"Why didn't you tell me? That could have been serious."_ And it was._ Karyme shrugged.

"I always got stung by Weedle when I was a Houndour and never got poisoned. I thought it wasn't a big deal." I nodded at her to show I understood.

"All right, well I still need to get that firewood," I said grabbing my backpack and swinging it over my back.

"Is it okay if I stay here?", Karyme asked. "I still feel a little weak."

"Yeah, stay her and rest. It would probably be better if you stayed here anyways. I'll be back as soon as I can." I helped Karyme into the tent and hurried off into the trees. I scanned the ground quickly and scooped up a whole bunch of dead twigs and branches and put them in my backpack so they were easier to carry. On the way back I passed a small stream so I decided to refill the canteen.

I bent down and unscrewed the cap, lowering it into the water. As I was doing this, a sharp pain shot through my skull. _That was no headache. I knew that pain._ "Oh shit," I said quietly._ It was Karyme._ I hastily screwed the cap back onto the canteen and threw it into my pack. I dashed through the trees, running back to the tent flat out. After a few minutes I could make out the tent through a clump of trees. I charged out into the clearing and a sickening sight met my eyes. There was a Weaville in the clearing along with Karyme. The Weaville had pushed Karyme up against a tree and was brutally raping her. He was pumping back and forth into Karyme so fast and hard that Karyme was bleeding. Blood slowly seeped out of her, running down her legs and dripping onto the ground beneath them. Karyme was sobbing and shaking.

"Shut up bitch. Do you want me to kill you?", the Weaville said to Karyme. The Weaville had his claws dug into the back of her neck to make sure she didn't go anywhere. Anger I hadn't felt in a while boiled up inside of me. I dropped the backpack next to my feet, my hands curling into fists. I drew my knife aproaching the Weaville. It turned around and saw me creeping up behind him. It pulled out of Karyme and turned around to face me flexing it's claws. We both glared at each other. Then the Weaville struck, running forward at almost blinding speed. I swung my kinfe through the air blindly, in an attempt to hit him. Luckily my knife found its mark and tore the flesh on his leg. He cried out. This slowed him down a little. He bared his teeth and jumped at me again. I threw out my shoulder and he ran right into it, getting knocked back to the ground again. He kept up his relentless attacks, never backing down. Then I saw his claw glow a deep black. _Shadow Claw._ He jumped at me and I was barely able to dodge. I picked myself up and heard the Weaville yell in anger, having missed me. I turned around and all I saw was the Weaville charging at me. He was already too close to dodge so I threw my hands up in front of me, trying to block him. He tackled me and we both fell backwards through the bushes. I quickly rose to my feet, just as the Weaville did. He jumped at me again. _Doesn't this guy do anything different?_ This time I swung my knife down at him and felt it make contact with something. He screamed as the agonizing pain shot through his nerves. He stumbled back from me and I saw my knife sticking out of his left arm. I approached him and grabbed the knife, kicking him in the stomach. He fell backwards onto the ground and the knife slid out of his arm. I pocketed it. _I didn't think I would need it anymore._ The Weaville stared up at me in horror. I kicked him in the face.

"Stop, stop! I yield!", the Weaville yelled cringing on the ground.

"And why should I? You think you can do whatever you want and get away with it?"

"I'm sorry! If I knew she was taken... I would have never... Please! You gotta believe me!"

"You raped her and could have even killed her the way you were going at it!"

"Please! I promise I'll never do anything like this ever again!"

"No," I said looking down at him, hate etched into my face, "You won't." I swung back my foot and kicked him as hard as I could in the side of the head. A loud snapping noised cracked through the air as his neck broke, and then he was still. I took a minute to re-collect myself before I remembered Karyme. I headed back to the tent hastily. Upon returning to the clearing, I found Karyme in the same spot, but curled up on the ground sobbing. Her rump was facing me and there was blood dripping out of her still. I slowly walked up beside her and knelt down. The moment she knew I was there, she wrapped her paws around my waist and put her head on my shoulder, sobbing louder than ever.

"Alex...," she whispered in between sobbing.

"Karyme. I-I should have stayed. I shouldn't have left you alone," I said holding her tightly to my chest, her legs sprawled out over my lap.

"No Alex," she said. "It couldn't have been helped. It's not your fault." She gave a loud sob. "It's not your fault," she whispered into my chest, nearly crying by now.

"It's okay Karyme," I said, rubbing the back of her neck soothingly and rocking her back and forth gently. "He can't hurt you. I'm here for you now." Karyme looked up into my face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You'll always be there for me Alex, won't you?" I gave her an encouraging smile.

"Forever and ever." Karyme smiled weakly and pressed her head against my chest.

Karyme eventually said that she wanted to go lie down in the tent before the others got back. I picked her up and carried her into the tent, laying her down gently. I grabbed a rag out of my backpack and wiped the blood off of her rump. I took a warm blanket out of my pack also and covered her with it. Karyme licked me on the cheek and whispered, "Thanks", into my ear. Just as I exited the tent, the others returned. They came walking out of the forest, arms ladden with berries. They were chatting merrily, ocasionally laughing. Drake lit the fire with a small Flamethrower and they all deposited their berries in a pile not too far from it. Luna looked up at me, smiling. It quickly disappeared once she saw the look on my face.

"Alex. What's wrong? Where's Karyme?", Luna asked a bit worriedly. Drake and Mytka looke up too, hearing Luna.

"Well, Karyme, uh... Karyme had a bit... a bit of an incident." Luna gasped, Drake looked truly concerned now and Mytka looked utterly confused.

"Mommy?", Mytka asked, "Where's Aunt Karyme?"

"Hush now Mytka," Luna said firmly. "Go sit by the fire and wait for mommy and daddy." Mytka did as she was told and Luna turned to me again.

"Go on Alex. What were you saying?" I explained everything from where Karyme collapsed up until I found her. I skipped the part where I dragged the Weaville off into the trees.

"So now she's in the tent resting." When I finished telling them, Luna looked like she was in shock. She had her paws over her mouth and her eyes were wide. Drake on the other hand, looked like he was going to murder someone. Luna spoke first.

"Is she all right?" I debated this myself._ I wasn't entirely sure on either answer._

"I don't know. She seems fine, but there could be something seriously wrong with her. She was bleeding pretty badly."

"Oh my gosh," Luna said before turning and heading for the tent, disappearing inside. Drake spoke up after she left.

"Where is that bastard?", Drake said angrily. "I'm going to rip him limb from limb."

"Drake, don't worry about it. He's taken care of," I said. Drake exhaled frustratedly turning to look at me.

"Man, how could we just let something like this happen. We should have been more careful."

"It's not your fault, if that's what you're thinking. It's just one of those things that nobody expects to happen."

"But I still feel like we could have done something to prevent it."

"What's done is done Drake. End of story. We have to move on."

"Okay then. Does Karyme want any dinner at all? We sure did pick a lot of berries." At that moment Luna came out of the tent and walked over to Drake and I.

"She wouldn't talk to me," Luna said, sounding defeated. _They were usually on good terms with each other_. "I don't know what to do."

"I'll go talk to her," I said._ She had to at least talk to me._ I entered the tent and crouched down next to Karyme. She was curled up in the blanket I gave her earlier, her back facing me.

"Karyme? Are you okay?" Karyme rolled over to face me. She had fresh tears in her eyes. "Oh Karyme," I whispered. I picked up a side of the blanket and crawled underneath it with her. She wrapped her paws around my chest and pulled herself close to me, tears still leaking out of her eyes.

"Alex," Karyme whispered, laying her head down on my chest. "What if I'm... I'm," she sniffed. "What if I'm p-pregnant?" I felt a jolt go through my body. _ What if she was? What would we do? How would we accept it?_

"Well, what if you're pregnant," I asked her, trying to see what she was getting at with asking me this.

"I don't know," Karyme said. She let out a sob. "But we were going to have pups."

"Correction. We are going to have pups." Karyme looked up into my face hopefully. "We can still have pups. And if you are pregnant, we can either take it in as our own or we can give it to the Day Care Center." Karyme sniffed again her head returning to my chest.

"Yeah. I guess you have a point." I rubbed the soft fur on her stomach, feeling it slide through every crack and crevice in my hand.

"It'll all be okay Karyme. We'll get through this together." Karyme shuffled a bit closer to me and closed her eyes. _I was really warm and cozy under the blanket with her. It made me a bit... drowsy_. I yawned widely, taking my arm off of Karyme's back and stretching above my head. Karyme shuffled in her sleep and pawed my stomach, as soon as my touch left her.

"No, don't leave me," she whispered in her sleep. I put my arm back around her and she slowly relaxed. I lowered my head, gently rubbing my forehead against hers.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," I said softly. I laid back down and drifted off into the world of slumber.

Luna, Mytka, Drake still sat around the fire. Mytka sat in Luna's lap, happily eating a Pecha berry. Drake sat next to Luna with his arm around her. After a couple of minutes, Luna picked up Mytka and set her down in Drake's lap.

"I'm going to go check on Alex. He's been gone for a while," Luna said, standing up. Mytka looked up curiously into her mother's face, her cheeks full of berry.

"Okay," Drake said simply. He looked down at Mytka eating her berry and smiled. Luna walked over to the tent and slowly peeked inside. In the corner Alex and Karyme were both curled up underneath the blanket, fast asleep, each holding the other in their arms. Luna smiled warmly and quietly made her way back to the fire.

"What's going on?", Drake asked.

"I don't think we should disturb Alex and Karyme tonight," Luna said sitting down again.

"How exactly are we going to do that?"

"Well, what if we have a little campout?"

"That sounds fun," Drake said. "We'll bust out the blankets, tell ghost stories, toast berries over the fire and all that fun stuff."

"But daddy!", Mytka said looking up into her father's eyes fearfully. "What if the monsters get us!"

"Oh, that's right," Drake said smiling. "We need to watch out for the Goober Gobbler! He likes to eat little pups." Drake showed his fangs and raised his arms above his head to make himself look scary. "I'm the Goober Gobbler! And I'm coming to get you!"

"Eeek!", Mytka squealed. She jumped into Luna's lap, burying her head in her mother's chest. "Save me mommy! Save me!" Luna smiled, playing along with them.

"Go away monster! Leave us alone!" Luna said, laughing. She swiped her paw playfully at him. Drake fell backwards, pretending to be hurt.

"Oh no! You got me!", Drake said. Mytka jumped on top of Drake.

"Grrr!", she said, showing her little pointy teeth and growling, trying to be scary too. Luna and drake laughed at how silly she looked.

Unknown to anyone, back in the tent Alex wasn't sleeping all that well. His head turned this way and that. Little beads of sweat trickled through his hair and down his forehead. His face was contorted and he was mumbling something.

"No. Not Karyme... Not again."

**End Notes:** Again, sorry for any cheesiness you may have encountered. Not my fault! But you gotta admit, it was cute with it! So Alex is having bad dreams again! 0_o What's gonna happen I wonder? You can find out next time on Karyme: The Perfect Love! So I ran out of things to say, but I'll probably remember something to add right after I upload this. Never fails. So, read, check! Now review!


	13. New Friends In Old Places

**Karyme: The Perfect Love **

**Chapter 13:**** New Friends in Old Places**

**Author Notes: **MERRY CHRISTMAS! So yeah, this is my Christmas present to everyone. Alex, Karyme, Drake, Luna, and Mytka all say Merry Christmas too! Oh yeah, and they also say that I own them, but not Pokemon. One more thing. Sorry about the dark beginning of this chapter, it being Christmas and all, but it'll get better! And as a side note, please forgive my excessive ranting. :D Well I guess it's time for the chapter, so enjoy!

**Recap:** Alex finds out that there's a way he and Karyme can have pups. Karyme gets poisoned and raped. Karyme might be pregnant.

...It's happening again... It has been at least a year... I thought they were gone... But they've returned... As worse as ever... These horrifying nightmares... Karyme... Jade... They were still about them... It was always about them... Pain... They were about pain this time... And suffering... Oh yes, suffering... Death... No... Not death this time... They wouldn't be that kind... They made me beg for death... The quick and easy way out of this nothingness... But they aren't kind enough to grant me death... This time I walked through the darkness... I heard them calling out to me... They started out as whispers... Growing louder with every step I took... I must be getting closer... Karyme and Jade... They were pleading... Begging... Crying out for help... For anyone... Their faces loomed across my vision... They were hazy... Barely visible through the dark... I was able to make out one thing though... Fear... Yes... I could see it clearly... Plainly written on their faces... Tears... Oh yes, there were many of them too.... Rolling down their cheeks... Breaking as they hit the ground... Shattering in to a million pieces... I could feel a drum, beating inside of me... It beat as each tear broke against the cold floor... It sent shock waves through me... I shook my head... Trying to rid my vision of their faces... The more I tried... The more they seemed to press against my skull... I could hear their screams and sobs... They echoed around inside of my head... My head would surely burst from the vibrations... I fell... Fell to my hands and knees... "Stop it!", I screamed out into the blackness... I only heard my own voice echoing... Everything went quiet... I closed my eyes... Grateful... Grateful it had stopped... I heard sobbing again... I looked up... Karyme... She was tied to the ground with heavy link chains... Four of them... One on each paw... She lay spread eagle on her back... She was illuminated by a spotlight... Tears ran down her cheeks... She sobbed... Frightened... Scared... She didn't know what was going on... "Karyme," I whispered... I reached a hand out... I tried to crawl to her... I heard a clinking noise behind me... I turned around... My ankles were chained up too... Karyme screamed... I spun around... Above her were a couple of sparkling objects... Sharp objects... Knives... They were falling... And Karyme was in their path... I started to sweat... I pulled at the chains binding me... Karyme closed her eyes... "Karyme! Noooo!"... Everything went black... All sound stopped... Did I faint?... Was it over?... The light returned... Karyme was gone... In her place was Jade... The scene was different... We were in a locker room shower... I was chained up again... Giant metal hooks pierced Jade's skin in various places... The ends were chained to the floor... A great amount of blood pooled underneath her... It colored her fur a deep scarlet... Some of the blood ran down the drain... Her body was chained up right underneath a shower head... She was sobbing too... Except her sobs were of pain... All of a sudden... The shower turned on... A greenish-yellowish liquid burst from the shower head... Jade screamed... Not a scream of fear... Not even pain... But a scream of agony... Pure agony... The moment the liquid made contact with her skin... It bubbled up foamy white... It was acid... No... No... No more... Please no more... Stop!... Please!... I beg you!... I reached out to Jade... But I could do nothing... Even if I could touch her... I was helpless... I didn't deserve to live... Death... It doesn't seem so bad anymore... Is it wrong to want to die... "Alex,"... "Alex," ... Jade was calling out to me... Her face was mutilated... I barely recognized her anymore... I fought to hold back tears... She still called.... "Alex,"... "Alex,"... Her voice started to change... It became smoother... It was Karyme's voice... "Alex,"... "Alex, wake up"...

I opened my eyelids and saw a blurred outline of someone leaning over me. I blinked a few times to bring it into focus._ It was none other than Karyme._

"Alex, come on get up. It's nearly midday." I groggily sat up in the tent. _Ouch. My head. It still hurt. Like that dream had actually happened.._ "Come on. If we're going to leave for Leynoh today, we'd better get going."

"All right, I'm up," I failed to stifle a yawn. "I'm up." I pulled the blanket off of me and stood up. "You seem in a good mood today." _I thought she'd be a bit more mellow because of what happened last night. I thought I'd be the one waking her up._

"I thought about what you said last night and it made sense. I won't let this get me down." I smiled at her.

"That's the spirit. Are you sure you don't need to talk about it though? It's okay if you do."

"Alex, you're too persistent. I'm fine. You don't need to worry as much as you do. I somehow had to take care of myself before I met you." _Yup.. She wanted to talk about it. But I didn't press the matter any further. I could tell that she wanted to keep her pride. It's a trait that all Houndoom have. Pride is one of the things they strive for in life. Strip a houndoom of this and it becomes weak-willed._ I gave Karyme a curt nod to show I understood.

"Are the others up already?", looking to change the subject.

"They were up before I was. Probably because of Mytka. Last night they slept outside instead of coming in."

"Why'd they do that? Weren't they cold?"

"That's the same thing I had asked them, but they said they wanted to 'camp out.'" I shrugged my shoulders.

"Okay." I picked up my backpack, having put everything back in there while Karyme was talking. "Let's go then. We'll be heading back to Hearthome first. I want to stop in the Pokemon Center and have Nurse Joy take a look at you. I hope nothing's wrong." I packed up the rest of the blankets and the tent and got ready to head out. We decided to fly again. It was much faster than walking. I put everyone back into their pokeballs, including Mytka, as she had her own now. Before I put Karyme in hers, I gave her a quick kiss and promised that it wouldn't take long. I climbed onto Drake's back like I usually did. He spread his wings and we took off into the vast sky...

We eventually touched down in front of the pokemon center in Hearthome City. I slid gracefully off of Drake's back and let out Karyme.

"Hey Drake, have a quick rest before we take off again for Leynoh," I said calling back Drake into his pokeball. Karyme and I walked into the Pokemon Center.

"Hello, how may we help you today?", Nurse Joy asked us, smiling.

"Well, we recently came through here and we were out on Route 209 and Karyme," I said, indicating Karyme, "Well Karyme was raped by a Weaville." Nurse Joy clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Oh my, please bring her in here," she said pointing into a room behind the desk. I lead Karyme to the room and she walked inside, looking back at me. I followed her but was cut off by Nurse Joy. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait outside. It's for her privacy." _She obviously didn't understand our relationship._ I looked past her to Karyme.

"It's okay Alex, I'll be out soon," Karyme said almost apologetically.

"But Karyme-" I was cut off as Nurse Joy closed the door. Defeated, I made my way over to a waiting bench and sat down. I didn't have much to take my mind off of Karyme and if she was okay or not. _I mean she could be pregnant. And even if she isn't, that Weaville could have damaged something and then Karyme and I wouldn't be able to have pups at all!_ It was so nerve-racking, I started to feel my leg twitch with impatience. I eventually got up and walked over to the drinking fountain, just for something to do instead of sitting. That didn't last long and I resorted to sitting back down again. I looked around the crowded Center. People were milling about, laughing with their pokemon. The occasional trainer would rush in and hand their pokemon to the Chansey who took up Nurse Joy's empty post and she would heal them. Then the trainer would rush off again only to be back ten minutes later in the same situation. I leaned my head back and stared up at the ceiling, hoping it wouldn't take much longer. And as if it was a coincidence, I heard the doors open up and Karyme bounded out of the room towards me. She hopped up into my lap and rubbed her head under my chin. Nurse Joy followed her in a much slower pace.

"Your Houndoom is just fine. There will be a slight tenderness around her... area... and she might be a bit sensitive there, but other than that she's perfectly normal. There was no internal damage and she's not pregnant." I was nearly overwhelmed with this news. I hugged Karyme tightly to me, letting go of her before standing up.

"Thank you so much Nurse Joy." Karyme licked me on the cheek, obviously happy too. Nurse Joy just flashed me the same smile all of the Nurse Joys use.

"Your very welcome, and I hope you have a pleasant day!" She bowed to me before returning to her desk and relieving Chansey from duty. Karyme and I walked to the exit. I gave Karyme a quick kiss and returned her to her pokeball, letting out Drake at the same time.

"Dang, that was fast," Drake said after the glowing light faded away. "I'm guessing everything's good?"

"Yeah Karyme's all okay. It's like," I hesitated, not liking my words, "It's like nothing ever happened." Drake nodded. "You ready to go?", I asked.

"Let's do this," Drake replied. I climbed back onto Drake's back and we once again took off into the blue sky...

About seven hours later of non-stop flying, we flew over Westfield City. The sun was setting below the horizon, coloring the city deep golden. A few specks of light could be seen below us on the city streets, as motorists wove their way home. Over the city we flew and then over the grassy hillside where Karyme and I confessed our love for each other. _I had to say, it did stir up memories._ I had a flash of the pink mist from the Volbeat. Karyme lying in the grass, gazing up at the night sky._ Memories. They made me smile._ The fields quickly passed under us, disappearing from view.

"Where should I head now," Drake said, yelling over the whistling in my ears.

"Just keep heading straight," pointing ahead so Drake could see. "There's a town a little bit past this forest ahead." _The forest. North forest._ It brought back memories too._ Painful memories._ I looked down at the trees flashing underneath us. _Somewhere, down there, was Jade... No, I shouldn't be thinking like this. Was it because I missed her? Well of course I did. I missed her everyday. It pained me to think of her like that. I couldn't help it. The more I tried to push it out of my head, the more memories seemed to flood into my brain. There was a flash and I saw Jade's face contorted with pain. Malak laughing evilly. They plastered themselves over my eyesight. It hurt me. Hurt me bad. Right where I felt it the most._ I shook my head to clear the images._ I can't do this. Brood in my own sorrow. _I looked ahead to see how close we were getting. I could see some of the taller houses of Westfield River peeking over the trees in the distance. _We were almost there._ I pointed out my house to Drake and we started descending._ I liked my house. It wasn't large or small, but somewhere in the middle. Normal. That's what it was. That's what I was. But no, not anymore._ Drake touched down little more roughly than usual. I almost fell off. I climbed down and noticed Drake was panting heavily.

"You okay?", I asked him.

"Yeah... It's just... wow... I haven't... had a workout like that... in a long time..." I chuckled_. It was a bit odd seeing Drake all out of breath. He was usually the tough guy that could stick it out through anything. Then again, he did fly for about seven hours straight. _

"We'll take the ferry back then. It is a pretty far journey." Drake held up his hand.

"No, no... I just haven't flew... that far... lately..."

"Okay, well if you really want to, you can fly us back." Drake just gave me a thumbs up as a response.

"If you don't mind... I'd like to... rest a while... in my pokeball." I pulled out Drake's pokeball and returned him. I put his ball back in my pack and pulled out Karyme, Luna and Mytka's, releasing them all. As soon as Karyme was out, she ran up to me and nuzzled at my neck. Luna picked up Mytka in her arms. I finally turned around and looked at my house._ Home. I couldn't believe I was back, well, back so soon. After all I did to get away from this place, it kind of felt good to return after a while._ I was just about to walk up to my house, when Luna tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around. Luna put her arm around my shoulder and brought her mouth close to my ear.

"Alex," she said in a quiet voice, "I couldn't help but notice there's a Lucario sitting on the sidewalk, in front of the house to our right. The strange thing is, I couldn't detect a pokemon life force from him. I detected a human one." Luna removed her arm from my shoulder and I turned my head, looking to where Luna said. He was sitting there with his head in his arms, looking really frustrated about something._ He looked just like a normal Lucario. I couldn't tell anything was different._ I casually walked up to him. He looked up hearing me approach.

"Hey, sorry to bother you, but can you guide me about? I'm stranded here and it's all new to me…", the Lucario said. I smiled.

"Sure," I said. _This guy seems like a nice guy._

"My name is Sareh," he said standing up and holding out his paw for me to shake.

"Alex," I replied shaking his paw. "You don't seem like a normal Lucario to me. What with the formal introduction and all."

"Don't you know who I am?", he asked looking flustered.

"Uh, hmmm, Sareh. I think I've heard that name somewhere before... Are you a... a... famous singer?" Sareh looked at me like I was a complete idiot.

"No," he said. "I was on the news a while back. Don't you remember the human from Malden? Turned into a Lucario?"

"Oh that's right! I know you." Sareh grinned. "So what are you doing all the way out here in Westfield River?"

"My friends and I thought it would be fun to go on a vacation. We rented a lodge here. Unfortunately, we had to travel separate. I asked a taxi driver to take me to where I wanted to go, but he gave me a hard time because I was a pokemon. I thought this island was supposed to treat pokemon and humans as equals. He wouldn't drive me to the lodge so now I'm stuck here."

"Do you know where the lodge is? I can maybe help you out."

"I'm not entirely sure exactly where it's located, but I was told it was on the north side of the island." I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of this situation.

"Wow, you're about as far away as you can get. You're on the south side of the island."

"Oh, I knew something like this was bound to happen."

"If you want, I'm heading up that way soon, so if you want, I can show you the way."

"That'd be wonderful. Thank you very much."

"All right, sounds good. In the meantime you can stay at my house. I'm sure my mom won't mind." _Now that was a lie. She'd be livid. Jade was enough for her, but now I had five pokemon staying here. She's gonna blow the roof off._ I finally started up the front walk to my house, motioning for everyone to follow me. I rang the doorbell and waited. The door was flung open a moment later and there standing in front of me was my mother. Her expression changed from mild disconcern to overwhelming joy in a heartbeat.

"Alex! Oh my little boy!", she said, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Hi mom," I said trying not to put too much emotion into it._ I was just glad Drake wasn't here to see this. He'd be laughing his ass off._

"Come in and sit down, you all look exhausted." We traipsed into the kitchen and sat around the table. Karyme of course remained standing and Sareh didn't seem to want to sit down._ Probably because he had been sitting on that curb all day._ My mom sat down opposite us, dazzling us all with her extremely joyful smile. "This is such a surprise! I can't believe you're home! And you brought a Lucario family home too." I was a bit confused as to what she meant, until I looked behind me. There was Luna holding Mytka standing right beside Sareh. Luna and Sareh both looked at each other. Sareh grinned sheepishly at her and Luna and Karyme laughed.

"Oh no mom. You've got it all wrong. This here is Sareh," I said indicating Sareh.

"Oh yes, I've heard of you! You were that boy that changed into that Lucario. I've seen you on the news." Sareh flushed a little.

"Yeah, that's me," he said. I continued on.

"This is my friend Luna and her daughter Mytka."

"Hello!", Mytka said enthusiastically, waving with her paw.

"It's very nice to meet you," Luna said.

"Right now Drake's resting in his pokeball. It was a long flight over here."

"Flight?", my mother inquired. "He's not a Salamence, I hope. Because I don't know if we'd have enough room for him."

"Nah, don't worry. He's a Dragonite." My mom's face suddenly showed horror. I laughed as everyone else did, except for Sareh and my mother as they obviously didn't get the joke. "No I'm just kidding! Drake's a Charizard." My mom still didn't look to relieved, as a Charizard was still pretty big. "Anyways, this is Karyme my..." _I wanted to say mate but, my mom really wouldn't take that too well._ "My... best friend." Karyme shot a look up at me, a bit saddened.

"Well it's wonderful to meet you all and I hope everyone has a pleasant stay. Feel free to stay as long as you want." She got up and opened the fridge. "Now I am sure all of you are very hungry. How does spaghetti sound?"

After we all ate, including Drake, the seven of us sat down to watch a movie. It was some movie about an Ampharos and a Blaziken falling in love._ One of those old sappy movies._ I said I wasn't very interested, but Karyme nearly begged me to watch it with her. So I forced myself to sit down and watch it with them. Karyme scooted right up next to me, resting her head against my shoulder. Her paw found my hand and slowly slipped around it. I quickly wrapped my hand around her paw and hid it between us so my mom wouldn't see. So the movie started and it was just as boring as I thought it would be. About halfway through the characters had their first kiss. Karyme looked up at me too, obviously wanting me to give her a kiss too. I refrained from doing so. She started nuzzling my neck, coaxing me. She moved higher and higher until she was on the tip of my chin._ No Karyme, not now.._ I tried sending her a message telepathically. She didn't stop. She continued upwards. I stood up quickly, Karyme falling down onto the couch without me to hold her up. Everyone looked at me.

"Bathroom," I said as a quick, made-up explanation. They all turned back to the screen, almost robotically. I took of in a quick walk to the stairwell. Halfway up, I turned to look back at the living room. Everyone was transfixed on the screen, except for Karyme. She was looking over the sofa to see where I was going. Her face showed confusion and to my disappointment, anger. I beckoned for her to follow. She jumped off the sofa and I continued up the stairs, into my room. Karyme entered shortly afterward and I shut the door once she was inside. I was going to say something, but Karyme spoke first.

"What's your problem Alex?", she said a small flame flaring out of her nostrils.

"Karyme, I-," I started, but Karyme cut me off again.

"First you call me your 'best friend', then you won't even kiss me." She wasn't yelling at me, but there was so much force and hurt in her voice that I kind of wish she was. I, however, was completely confused.

"Karyme, I don't see what the problem is."

"Well I do. You're completely ignoring me." She looked away from me. I searched my mind for words to describe to Karyme the situation, but any way I put it sounded like I was making an excuse._ I'd just have to tell her the plain truth._

"Karyme," I said. She still stared off into nothing, as if she didn't even hear me. "Karyme, will you look at me? Please?" Karyme turned her head slowly, facing me. I could see traces of a frown on her muzzle.

"I'm going to try and explain this as best as I can." I sighed not knowing where to start. "My mother, she's a person that believes pokemon are non-sentient creatures. She thinks of them as animals or pets. As something below humans. I'm the complete opposite of her though. I believe that pokemon should be above humans. Right now though, pokemon stand at either equal to or under humans, being made to battle, do hard work and things like that.. When it really comes down to it, pokemon can beat humans in anything. Strength, speed, endurance, and ability. I mean why should we be the dominant ones? Well anyways, my mom doesn't think that highly of pokemon, to be plain. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't hate them. But if she were to see that we were... more than just friends, she would think I had some weird bestiality fetish or something." I paused thinking what to say next. Karyme came over to stand next to the bed, listening now. "It's not that I'm ignoring you, Karyme. I would never put you aside for something else. It's more like I'm putting on a so called 'show' for my mother." As I finished speaking, Karyme jumped up onto the bed next to me. Her eyes found mine. They looked sympathetic.

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that. I shouldn't have... shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." I hugged her lovingly.

"Thank you. But I should have explained this earlier. It's partially my fault." Karyme smiled, happy that I wasn't angry with her.

"Can you forgive me?", Karyme asked.

"Only if you'll forgive me." We both laughed at the moment. "So how about that kiss you've been waiting for?"

"First make sure your mother doesn't have any secret cameras set up." Karyme sniggered. She leaned in towards me and softly grazed her lips against mine. I leaned in towards her also. Karyme heated up the kiss a bit more by pushing me down onto the bed and getting on top of me. I felt her tongue push against my lips and slip it's way into my mouth. Just then I heard a knock on the door. I quickly pushed Karyme up into a sitting position along with myself, before looking to the door to see who our visitor was. To my surprise, it was Sareh.

"Hello, I do hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No. no. We have some time. Come in, sit down." I patted the space next to me on the bed. Karyme nibbled at the bottom of my ear. She seemed to be annoyed that he'd interrupted. Sareh walked over to us, but remained standing.

"I'd rather not, thanks. The others downstairs noticed you had been gone a while and I volunteered to go find you."

"Oh, heh, sorry about that. I was just... talking with Karyme."

"Oh, sure you were." He winked at me and turned to go. "I'm going to head back down to see the rest of the movie."

"Hey, could you not mention this to my mother? She... wouldn't understand." Sareh nodded.

"Sure thing." And with that, he left. Karyme looked up into my face.

"Let's go back down too. I promise I'll behave myself." I sighed. I really didn't want to, but I didn't want to disappoint Karyme.

"Okay, let's go." We got up and retraced our steps back down the stairs and reseated ourselves on the same couch. I noticed that Karyme didn't press herself up against me this time or try and hold my hand. She merely sat beside me, our shoulders barely touching. We caught the last fifteen minutes of the movie. Apparently the Blaziken had died because a couple of robbers raided their house. She died trying to fend them off. The Ampharos came home from a friend's house and found her body on the floor. He wept and wept over her. I had to say it was a bit sad, but still sappy. I heard Karyme give a loud sniff next to me. I looked sideways at her. Two tears were tracing their way steadily down her face. The movie ended and my mom stood up.

"I'm going to go to bed. It's late." I looked over at the clock._ 8:12. My mom was the "early to bed, early to rise," kind of person._ "Goodnight everyone. Don't stay up too late," she said as she mounted the stairs.. Everyone sent scattered "goodnights" in her direction. The six of us watched TV. for a couple of hours more, mostly late night shows, but nothing interesting. We all decided to call it a night sometime around 10:30. My house comprised of three bedrooms. My mother's, mine, and a guest room. I gave the guest room to Drake, Luna and Mytka, so they could have their own bed. Sareh, Karyme and I took my room. I gave Sareh the bed as he was the guest and I rolled out the sleeping bag for Karyme and I to share. I shut off the lights and slipped into the sleeping bag with Karyme. I quickly thought through what my plan was for tomorrow. I would get up early, before anyone else did. Then I would drive to Westfield City. I'd hear Bill's speech and ask him to do the "procedure." My thoughts were interrupted by Karyme lightly kissing my neck. I chuckled turning to face her. I stroked the back of her neck, kissing her on the cheek. Karyme giggled.

"Are you guys gonna go at it all night?", Sareh said groggily from the bed. "I'll never get to sleep." I smiled and gave Karyme one last kiss on her forehead before I laid down my own head._ I hope I have a dreamless night..._

My eyelids cracked open. It was as if I had them closed for only a second before having to open them again to wake up._ Oh well, at least I didn't have anymore nightmares._ I sat up as gently and as quietly as I could, trying not to disturb Karyme in her sleep. I just remembered that I need one of her hairs to use as a DNA sample. I slowly reached over and grabbed one of the hairs on her side. I bit my lip, hoping it wouldn't wake her up. I held my breath, gripping it hard and pulled it out. Karyme stirred. She mumbled something inaudible and rolled over onto her other side. I exhaled in relief. I grabbed a small cloth out of my backpack and put the hair on it, folding it up and putting it into my pocket. I slipped out of the sleeping bag and stood up fully. I put on my sneakers, picked up my backpack and was just about to head out the door, when I heard a voice behind me.

"Where are you heading out this early in the morning?" I turned around and realized it was Sareh talking. He was lying on the bed, paws behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

"I just wanted to get some errands done before the others wake up." Sareh turned his head to look at me.

"I don't wish to impose, but can I come along too?" I thought this over. _I kinda wanted to do this by myself. But then again, I could use the company._

"Sure, it'll make it more fun." Sareh slipped out of the bed and the both of us descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. My mom was of course already up this early. She was sitting at the kitchen table in her bathrobe, reading the newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee. She looked up as we entered.

"Good morning Alex, Sareh. My you two are up early."

"Morning mom," I said walking over to the coffee maker and pouring out a cup. "Do you want a cup of coffee, Sareh?", I said holding up the cup. Sareh looked curiously at it.

"I've never tasted coffee before."

"Do you want to try some?" Sareh nodded his head and walked over next to me. I took out another mug and poured a mouthful into it. I handed it to him and he looked down at it, swishing it around. He brought the cup up to his muzzle and drank it. His eyes grew wide. He obviously didn't like it and it looked like it was taking all of his energy not to spit it out. He handed the mug back to me.

"Definitely not." I laughed and put his mug into the sink. My mom had been watching us and now that we were done, she spoke again.

"So what's the special occasion? I thought you guys would sleep a bit later than this."

"I just have some stuff to do before the others get up. I also wanted to know if I could borrow your car so we wouldn't have to walk."

"Oh, please do. I don't like the idea of you two walking through that dark forest after what happened to..." I quickly averted my eyes from her gaze at the near mention of Jade. My mother turned beat red with embarrassment, at having brought up the subject. "Breakfast!", she said quickly. I grabbed the nearest chair and sat down as my mother got up and busied herself with the stove. After a couple of minutes, the kitchen was full of the smell of scrambled eggs. She set down a plate of eggs, toast and an orange slice in front of Sareh and I. "Sareh dear, can I get you anything else to drink?", my mom asked as she set down his plate. "Orange juice? Milk?"

"No thank you, I'm not that thirsty." My mom got a plate for herself and sat down with us to eat. We ate in silence, except for the clinking of forks. Once Sareh and I were both done, we stood up.

"I promise I'll be back soon," I said, giving my mom a peck on the cheek. Sareh and I headed down the hallway that lead off of the kitchen to the garage. I pulled my mom's keys off of the hook by the door and hit the button to open up the automatic garage door. I unlocked the car doors and slipped into the driver's seat, Sareh getting in beside me in the passenger seat.

"Nice car," Sareh said as I strapped on my seat belt and turned the ignition. I shrugged.

"It's my mom's, so I can't really speak for myself."

"What model is it?"

"It's a Mazda RX-8," I said pulling out of the garage and onto the road. "It's not the BMW I wish she would get, but it's okay, I guess." I sped up a bit as I got onto the main road. _I loved this island because it's layout was simple. It was near impossible to get lost. Well, except in Sareh's case. In the north, it was devoted mostly to the city and tourist locations. In the east, it was farming and agriculture related. It wasn't uncommon to see a stray Miltank or Tauros on the road in that area. The south was mostly rural area. That's where we were located. The west was reserved space for wild pokemon. Humans or domesticated pokemon weren't allowed to disturb the wild pokemon in any way, whether it was physical contact or disturbing the land there. The only humans allowed in there were hikers, or nature photographers. This way the wild pokemon we're much more nice than other wild pokemon because they didn't have to be careful of anxious trainers trying to capture or battle with them. The North Forest was located right in the center of everything, in the middle of the island. I wasn't sure why it was called North Forest if it was right in the middle, but I didn't really worry about it to much._

"So I'm just curious, but what happened that your mother doesn't want you walking through the forest?" My body froze at having that question sprung at me out of nowhere. Sareh noticed my hands tighten on the steering wheel and my face tense up. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's none of my business."

"No, it's okay. You didn't know. I just wasn't expecting that question sprung on me so suddenly." I paused as I turned onto the highway and sped up to the speed limit. "Well a little bit over a year ago, I just left home with my pokemon Jade. She was just a little Pikachu, but as strong as a Vigoroth. Well we had to get to Westfield City and the quickest route was right through the forest. We walked for a while when we came across a Poochyena. He attacked Jade when she was least expecting it. I-," I stopped as I noticed my throat was very dry. I swallowed. "I tried to run away with her, but he evolved into a Mightyena. He chased us down." I paused again as I chose my next words carefully. _Mutilated her? Murdered her? Tortured her? Anyone was fine._ "And he killed her." Silence followed my words. _I noticed that now when I talked about Jade, I wasn't saddened as usual. I was angry. Did I... Did I want revenge?_

"Ummm, Alex?", Sareh mumbled. I tried to take my anger out of my expression as I looked at Sareh.

"Yeah?" As an answer, he just pointed at the speedometer. I glanced at it. _93 miles per hour!_ I let off the gas and resumed normal speed. I guess in my anger, I didn't notice how fast I was going. Silence fell between us once again. On the horizon I could see the city coming up fast. It's tall buildings rose out of the ground, reaching towards the sky. I exited onto the off-ramp and slowed down at the intersection light.

"Hey, I really am sorry about bringing that up," Sareh said.

"Nah, it's all right, don't worry about it. Actually, I feel better having talked about it."_ That was only half of the truth._ We drove the rest of the way to the Complex Center where Bill was giving his speech.

"You know, you don't have to come in with me if you don't want to.", I said as I unbuckled my seat belt and opened my door.

"Where will I go then?", Sareh responded, also getting out. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Good point. Let's go then."

Two hours later we walked out into the sun with Bill. He wore a pinstriped jacket over a dressy shirt, with brown slacks. His black leather shoes shone in the sun. His wavy hair was combed to either side of his head. He was deeply interested that I wished to do the "procedure." He had all of his equipment in his trailer, so we walked over to it. It looked more like a tour bus than a trailer. It towered above us. Bill opened the door and lead the way inside, Sareh and I following him.

"Well now, what pokemon do you wish to turn into?", Bill asked, sitting down in a chair in front of a large cage. I wondered what it was for, but I answered his question rather than ask my own.

"A Houndoom," I said seating myself, as he motioned for me to sit across from him. Sareh sat down next to me in another chair.

"Ah! An excellent choice. Yes, one of my personal favorites," He put on a pair of glasses that magnified his eyes and pushed a piece of paper towards me on a clipboard. "I'll just need you to sign this. It bestows all of your possessions to me." I looked up at him quizzically. He laughed. It was one of the most odd laughs I had ever heard. It sounded like he was hacking up a lump in his throat. "No, no, I'm just toying with you. It just states that if something should happen to you, I wouldn't be responsible. But don't worry. I've never had anything happen to any volunteers." I signed the paper and pushed it back towards him. "You do have a DNA sample with you, correct?" I pulled out the cloth and unwrapped it, holding up the hair for him to see. "Excellent, excellent," he said, grabbing a pair of tweezers and taking the hair out of my fingers. All right, now I'll need you to just lay down on the table here," he said pointing to the table behind him. I got up and walked around to the table, hopping up onto it and laying back. Bill put Karyme's hair into a machine and it glowed green. While the hair was in the machine, Bill attached pads to my skin on my arms, forehead, ankles and back of my hands. "All right, you should only feel a light tingling sensation. Tell me if you do start to feel anything else other than that though." I nodded. The table under me started to vibrate as the machine turned on. Like Bill said, I felt a tingling sensation start from the pads and spread over my skin, until I felt it completely cover me, like I was sunk into a pool of water. Once it covered me, I start to feel it creep down into me, spreading throughout me. I could feel it in my very bones. Bill hit a few more keys on his keyboard and turned to me. "Well, that's it!"

"I thought it might be a bit more complicated than that," I said as Bill removed the pads and I sat up.

"Now you might feel a bit like a Houndoom, but not too much. You might take on some traits of a Houndoom."

"Did it work though? I remember you saying that only 70% of the time it worked."

"That is what I was about to do next. We'll need to test it out. I'm going to give you a bit of the sedative, it'll wear off soon though." Bill bent down to a safe that I hadn't noticed before and typed in a code. The door swung open and he removed a bottle of pale blue liquid. "One other thing.. I'll need you to step into the cage." I stared at him again. _Was this another on of his jokes?_ "Some patients respond differently to the sedative than others. Sometimes they go ballistic, but usually it works." He smiled. "I don't want to scare you off now." I obeyed, feeling stupid as I walked into the cage and he padlocked it shut. He held a vile of the blue liquid and pushed it through the bars so I could reach it. I grabbed hold of it. _Well, here goes I guess. This is the moment of truth._ I drank the couple of drops of the liquid in the vile and waited. Sareh and Bill both watched with interest, and I grinned crookedly, letting them know that nothing had happened yet. Then all of a sudden, I felt it. I started out as a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach, but soon turned into a cool sensation. I felt goosebumps erupt all over my skin. My legs weakened and I slumped to the ground on my side. I felt like I didn't even have the strength to blink. I looked down at my hands and saw that my fingers were slowly shrinking and my fingernails turned into claws. My nose felt like it was growing too. A muzzle stretched out in front of my face, a black dot appearing on the end which was my nose. On the top of my head, it felt like someone was pushing two pointy objects against my head, except from the inside. My backside tingled as I felt my tail growing. My whole body itched as from every inch of it, fur sprouted. Some was sleek and black, while others were orange. The last thing I felt were my teeth elongating and becoming pointy. My body still felt too weak for me to stand up. Bill walked over to the side of the cage, smiling down at me.

"The sedative also wears out your muscles, but it wears off after a couple of minutes. Anyways, that was a perfect transformation. Here, take a look at yourself." He pulled a mirror off of his work table and held it up in front of the cage. _At first I didn't believe what the mirror was showing me. My face... my paws... I was a Houndoom. _I slowly picked up my head, watching as my reflection did the same. I turned my head to the right, looking at my new face. I stood up fully, trying hard not to fall back down again. It was a bit shaky at first, but since I was on four legs instead of two, I was a bit more balanced. Bill unlocked the cage and I walked out. _I could feel each muscle in my legs work as I walked. I felt so... powerful. Was this how Karyme felt all the time?_ Sareh looked at me and smiled.

"Hey look at us. We both used to be humans, but now we're pokemon," he said still smiling.

"I never knew being a pokemon felt so great!" I stretched out my legs, fighting the urge to leave the bus and test out my running capabilities.

"You should be changing back any second," Bill said, looking at his watch. _No! I didn't want to. Not so soon._ Just as Bill had said, I started to change back into a human. I didn't collapse again, but my limbs and features slowly changed back to my original human ones. Before I knew it, I was on all fours, changed fully back into a human. I stood up quickly, feeling a bit stupid on the floor like that. "I'm afraid the most I can give you is 48 hours worth. If you take anymore than that, you could contract, when you change back, anything from a rash, right down to death." I took in what he said, disappointed that I'll only be able to feel like that again for 48 hours.. It sounded like a long time but, it would probably pass by like nothing. Bill took out a larger bottle than before and handed it to me. "Since it is a lot of sedative, mix it with water first so it doesn't completely knock you out." I nodded, taking the bottle from him.

"Thank you so much for doing this for me," I said pocketing the bottle..

"No, thank you for furthering my research. I'm that much closer to making this an actual product." He shook my hand and then Sareh's. He bid us both farewell and we exited the bus. Outside there were a couple of other people gathered around the bus, obviously waiting to have the same procedure done. They all started bombarding Sareh with questions, thinking that he was transformed. He shook them off following me back to the car.

"Well that was fun," Sareh said as he got into the passenger seat again.

"Yeah, but you can't tell Karyme what we came here for. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"No problem. I promise I won't talk of it to anybody." I smiled at him and turned the key in the car's ignition. The car rumbled to life and we took off out of the parking lot._ I can't wait to see the look on Karyme's face._

**End Notes: **Oh boy! Alex the Houndoom! I can't wait to see the look on Karyme's face either and I'm sure you all feel the same way! Anyways, Sareh is owned by Greg the Lucario. Not mine! And as for everyone else that has a character request, I promise I will add them in as soon as I can. They are in no specific order, just wherever they fit in best with the plot. I'm pretty sure I have everybody's requests, but I might be missing a few. So far I have Longtial the Flyer's, Wolvesatyourdoor's, Pokeshipper 247's, Felix the Eeveetrainer's, Tails Blackheart's, Abbodon's, Spacewolf78's, and Selidor's characters. Now if you did send me a character and I didn't mention your name, then it means I do not have it. I'm sorry for everyone that wants to add in a character that didn't already, but I'm full to the brim and it's getting a bit crowded as you can see. So anyways, back to other stuff. Send me feedback on this chapter. I love to hear from anyone and everyone! I respond to all reviews, so submit one! All right, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! I'll see you all next year!


	14. Running in the Night

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 14:**** Running in the Night**

**Author Notes:** First off, I'm reeeeeeally sorry for the long wait. Got caught up with Christmas and everything. But now I'm back, but I'm sad to say, not with a vengeance. Not saying that this chapter's bad or anything, actually, I think it's some of my best work so far. But this chapter is a bit shorter than the rest. Once again, I was a bit rushed because of my delaying. All righty then, we've got all my rantings cleared up so now I just have to say: I own Alex, Karyme, Drake, Luna, Mytka and of course, Malak. Greg the Lucario owns Sareh. Onwards with the chapter!

**Recap:** Find out Karyme's not pregnant, fly to Leynoh, meet Sareh, drive to Westfield City and have Bill do the "procedure," Alex gets a vile of the sedative.

Sareh and I drove our way back to my mother's house. It was silent most of the way, mostly because I was thinking about becoming a Houndoom again. I couldn't help but grin the whole way._ I wanted to be a Houndoom again. The rush was overwhelming! I felt invinceable. Like I could do almost anything!_ (heh, sorry if I'm making him sound like a crack addict to this stuff. XD) _I looked over at Sareh next to me. I had to know more. I had to know what other people thought of being a pokemon._

"Hey Sareh, can I ask you a couple of questions?" Sareh just shrugged.

"I guess so. People are always bombarding me with questions anyways. Usually it's about being a Pokemon. So, what are your questions?" I paused. _I felt kinda bad now, because that's what I wanted to ask him about._

"Well... that's what I was going to ask you." Sareh smiled.

"In that case, it's absolutely amazing! Nothing can compare to it. But my paws do become a nuisance once in a while, especially with handling cutlery and doorknobs." I smiled too, glad that I wasn't crazy for liking, being a pokemon a lot._ But then again, what was I expecting him to say? Being a pokemon is complete agony?_ "Why do you ask though? Just curious." I looked ahead at the road again, thinking how to explain.

"I don't know myself really. But when I was a Houndoom... it was the best feeling of my life. I'd do nearly anything to be a Houndoom again. I... I just wanted to know if it was the same feeling for you." Sareh gave me a sort of quizical look as if thinking about something.

"I could tell that you really liked that. If I had some of the formula that changed me into a Riolu, I'd give you it. But I don't." I contemplated this new possibility._ If I had some of this "formula," I could permanately change into a Houndoom! I wouldn't need this sedative, and I could be a Houndoom all the time!_ But my rational side took hold of me. _Permanately. That was the bad part. I loved being human, but I loved being a Houndoom too... Being both was impossible. I'd have to choose... But first I was going to take the sedative and see how Karyme reacts._

I pulled my mom's car back into the garage. _It seemed to take less time coming back._ Sareh and I both got out of the car and let ourselves back into the house. We walked back down the hallway to the kitchen and I thought I heard... Was that laughter? I instantly recognized Mytka's laugh but, there was another one. This one was foreign to me. We walked into the kitchen and a most unusual scene met our eyes. _I recognized who the owner of the second laugh was now. My mom. And she was... playing with Mytka?_ They were both standing in the living room, facing each other, with the couch in between them. My mom was obviously intent on getting around the couch to try and catch Mytka and Mytka was making a game of it to try and get away. They were both giggling and laughing._ Since when does my mom laugh like that?_ My mom made a dash around the couch and Mytka took off. She turned and ran straight towards me. I kneeled down and outstrectched my arms. Mytka jumped into them and practically attached herself to me.

"Base!", she said. "Uncle Alex is base!" My mom straightened up and walked over to me.

"Uncle Alex?", she said questioningly.

"Yeah, it's just what Mytka calls me."

"Well, you're back earlier than I thought."

"Yeah, we got our stuff done quick." I had to change the subject before she started questioning me about what exactly I did there. I followed my mother back into the kitchen and we all took a seat at the table. I set down Mytka and she ran off in the direction of the stairs. "So, since when do you play? Especially with a pokemon." My mom looked a little taken aback by my sudden questioning.

"You probably don't remember it, but I played with you when you were younger. And then I got Jade for you and you didn't want to play with me anymore. You always played with Jade. That might be why I don't care for pokemon that much." My mom paused and I was going to appologize for springing that question on her, but she continued. "After you left this morning, Mytka, was it?" I nodded. "Well Mytka woke up and I guess she sorta reminded me of you when you were little. She reminded me of my baby Alex." She paused again. "Oh, who am I kidding? You're still my baby Alex, no matter how old you get." She tried to ruffle my hair, but I dodged out of her way grinning. _Now that I thought about it, it made sense. I remember going on trips with my mom, going to see movies with her, and a lot of other stuff. She tried so hard to fill the role of my father. Once Jade came into the picture, I guess my mom felt like I didn't want her around anymore._

"Awww, Alex the little baby." I turned around and Drake walked into the kitchen, followed by Luna holding Mytka in her arms.

"Shh," Luna said. "Be nice Drake." (ha, still whipped!)

"Morning Luna and I'm happy to see you too Drake." I smiled and Drake grinned back. _This is why Drake was one of my best friends. The both of us always tried to get one up on the other, but it was just all fun and games._

"So what's on the ol' agenda today?", Drake asked as Luna sat down in a chair. Drake was obviously too big for a chair, so he just stood behind Luna with his hands on her shoulders. I shot a look over at Sareh, silently confirming the promise he made earlier. Sareh nodded slowly and pulled his paw over his muzzle, showing that his lips were sealed. Thankfully, everyone's eyes were on me, so nobody saw him.

"Well since we're here, I thought I could show you guys around the island." My real intentions were to just get through the day quickly, because, come nightfall, Karyme and I would spend the next 48 hours together.

"Yay! Fun day!", Mytka shouted. And a fun day it was. We went to the Historical Library first. I was surprised at Mytka. I don't think she liked having to be quiet the whole time we were there. So after that we decided to have some real fun. We went to go see a movie. Drake and I wanted to see a comedy, Luna wanted to see an action movie, but Mytka surprised us all. She wanted to see a horror movie. So we decided we'd do what Mytka wanted. It was funny to see Drake run out into the lobby halfway through the movie, complaining about a headache. So to Mytka's disapointment, we left the theater and went to the local park where I used to play as a little kid. I bought everyone an ice cream cone. Drake, Luna, Karyme and I sat down and watched Mytka play with the other children and pokemon, eating our ice cream. She, along with a number of other pokemon, begged us to join in their game of tag. Soon enough, it eventually turned into just a game of "keep away from Drake."

The sun was starting to set and we decided it would be best to head home. My mom greeted us joyously. She said we would have dinner tonight out on the patio, because it was a nice night and fairly warm. I set up the table and my mom cooked in the kitchen. Drake, Luna, Karyme and I sat down on the garden swing and talked, watching the sun sink slowly beneath the horizon. My mom was done surprisingly quick with the food, so we sat down to eat. My mother is known for outdoing herself in almost everything. She made a wide array of foods that I don't even think Drake could consume. It was all good of course, but not entirely necessary. We laughed and talked our way through the food. When we were done, the sun had fully set. My mom cleared the table. Mytka was out in the yard, playing with the Illumise and Kricketot that had already come out for the night. Karyme and I retreated to the garden swing. I sat down with Karyme laying next to me. She laid her head in my lap, closing her eyes peacefully. I rubbed the back of her neck, just the way she loved it. We sat there in the twilight with each other. I watched Mytka running around, giggling with the other pokemon. I noticed how Karyme would sigh slightly everytime Mytka gave a paticularily loud laugh. _She really wanted pups bad. I could tell._

"Mytka honey," I heard Luna call out from the house. "It's time to come inside now."

"Okay mommy!", Mytka called back. Mytka said bye to her friends and ran back into the house. I smiled at her as she ran by and she waved back, grinning as always. My thoughts kept drifting back and forth between Karyme and the vile of blue liquid tucked away safely in my backpack. I wanted to drink it all down now, but I had to wait until everyone was asleep. I waited a couple more minutes trying to stave of my eagerness, but eventually my anticipation started to make my leg twitch and I felt like I could hold out no more. I stood up, Karyme picking up her head and looking at me.

"I'll be right back Karyme. I have a surprise for you." Karyme's face instantly lit up.

"Oh a surprise? I love surprises!", she said sitting up on the swing now. "What's the surprise?"

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if you knew what it was," I pointed out. Karyme's face fell. I smiled. "You'll see what it is in a minute. I'll be right back." I walked back onto the patio and into the house._ There was one thing I had to do before I left. Let my mom know I was leaving for a while._ Luckily she was still in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. She just shut off the water in the sink as I walked in.

"You know, I would've helped you clean up if you just asked," I said walking up and standing beside her in front of the sink. She turned her head around hearing my voice. She smiled and turned back to the dish in her hand.

"Oh, you had company. And I'm more than glad to do it," she said, finishing drying the plate and reaching up to the cupboards to put it away. "There must be something else you want to tell me. You didn't come in here to offer to help with the dishes. I know you better than that." _Wow, she was good. Well, I guess that that's a mother's job. Knowing your children well._

"Yeah there is something I need to tell you." I shuffled through my mind for an excuse decent enough to use._ I didn't like to lie, especially to my mother, but I couldn't tell her the truth either. Maybe I should have thought about this before I confronted her._ "I'm going to be gone for about two or three days. Karyme hasn't been back here in a long time and she wants to see her home again." _That seemed decent enough. She looked like she was buying it._ My mom hung up the dishrag on the hook next to the sink and turned around to face me, her back to the counter. She put both of her hands on it and leaned against it casually.

"What about Luna, Mytka and... oh what was his name?"

"Drake."

"Yes, Drake. What about them? Are they going with you too?"

"Nah, they wanted to stay here. Is that okay with you?"

"No problem, it's fine with me. When are you leaving?"

"I was going to leave tonight." My mother looked at me like I was an idiot.

"Tonight? Isn't a bit late to go anywhere now?" I sighed._ Overprotective as always._

"Don't worry mom, I'll be fine. Besides Karyme likes the night. She is a Houndoom after all." My mom bit her bottom lip._ She was still worrying._

"See that's when I worry. When you say 'don't worry.' Just promise me to be careful." She gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Will do." I turned around and left the kitchen, mounting the stairs and heading to my room. I shut my door and grabbed my backpack, searching for the vile of blue liquid. I could barely contain my excitement as I pulled it out. My fingers were fumbling over the lid. I was scared I might drop it. Eventually I popped the lid off. I quickly gulped down all of it in one swig. Before when I had only a few drops, I didn't notice any taste to it, but now I could definitely taste it. It had sort of a rustic taste. Like I had just stuck a penny in my mouth. I waited for it to take over again. Then it hit me. Worse than before. My eyelids instantly drooped and I felt like falling asleep right there. My body slumped to the floor. I felt the familiar tinglings and pains. The top of my head where my horns were growing out of the back of my skull. My nose elongating into a muzzle. My fingers and toes shrinking into paws. My backside where my tail was growing. My fingernails turning into claws. My teeth turning into sharp ones. And the tingling all over my body where fur grew out of my skin. I laid there on the ground a bit longer than I had on Bill's bus. After about a minute or two, I finally felt like I had enough energy to stand up. I slowly picked myself up off of the ground, standing up on my four legs. I blinked my eyes a couple of times and shook my head to shake off my drowsyness. I walked over to my dresser and nudged the door open with my nose. I took a good long look at myself in the mirror_. Ironically how the last time I looked into this mirror, it was well over a year ago. And now I was staring into it as a pokemon._ Everything looked okay. I looked identical to Karyme, except that I had a slight bulge in between my legs which was my sheath. I shut the dresser and walked over to my closed bedroom door._ Shit. How was I going to open it?_ I stared at it._ How could something so simple, something I overlook everyday, be so hard?_ I jumped up and tried to wrap my paw around the handle._ Nothing. Guess Sareh was right about it being hard to open doors when you were a pokemon._ I refrained to staring at it, thinking now. _Maybe with my teeth._ Once again I jumped up and closed my jaws around it. I bit down a bit harder than necessary, as my front paws were off the ground and the only thing holding me up, was my teeth on the handle. I twisted my head to turn the knob and when I felt it open, I let go. I looked back at the door handle. "Oops," I said quietly to myself. The knob was bent slightly into an oval shape and I could see deep teeth marks in it._ I'd better watch what I handle with my teeth from now on._ Putting that aside, I walked out of my room and proceeded to head back outside. _Now all I had to do was get outside before my mother noticed that I had not left yet._ But, as fate would have it, the very person I was trying to avoid came up the stairs. My mother._ Busted. There was no way I could hide now. She'd find out what I'd done. And about Karyme and I. I just hope she didn't take it too harshly._ I cowered under her gaze. My head dropped down, my eyes still on her face. My knees bent a little and I felt my tail move in between my legs. As a last ditch attempt, I moved off to flatten myself against one of the walls. _The hallway was pretty dark so she might not see me._ She however smiled as she saw me.

"Hi Karyme," she said kindly. _Wait a minute. She thought I was Karyme?_ "Shouldn't you be with Alex? I thought you two were leaving?" I didn't respond as my voice would have been a dead giveaway that I was not Karyme. So I merely nodded as she passed by me. My heartbeat started to return to it's normal pace and I breathed a mental sigh of relief. My legs eventually remembered how to function and I descended the stairs. I ran into someone at the bottom that I actually needed to talk to before I left. Sareh.

"Is that you Alex?", Sareh asked me as I stepped off the last stair.

"Yeah, it's me," I replied. "Hey Sareh. I wanted to know if you could do me a little favor."

"Sure thing."

"Well, you know how I got 48 hours worth of the sedative from Bill right?"

"Oh wait, I get it. You're going to disappear with Karyme and have a little 'alone time' for two days. Am I correct?" I smiled. _Everybody just seemed able to read me today._

"Yeah, that's right. Anyways, what I need you to do is let Luna and Drake know, should they ask. The only thing is, you can't let my mom know."

"Right. So let Drake and Luna know you two went on a date, you'll be back in two days, and can't let mommy know," Sareh said, trying to tick each of them off as he said them as best as he could with his paws. "Wouldn't your mother realize that you two left though?" I shook my head.

"I told her we were going hiking. She wasn't too suspicious. Hey, thanks alot though. You're a good friend."

"No problem. I like to help people out. It's sorta my thing."

"I would shake your paw or give you a high five or something, but as you can see, I am now not capable of that anymore," I said, lifting one of my paws to show him.

"See? You should have became a Lucario instead. They're much more manageable to be," Sareh said grinning. I laughed._ He never did pass up an opportunity to praise Lucarios._

"How about I just let you pat me on the head then?" It was Sareh's turn to laugh this time. He reached over and rubbed the top of my head a little bit. Oddly enough, it felt sorta nice. I closed my eyes and leaned my head into his paw. I even thought I felt my tail wagging slightly. I felt Sareh's paw leave my head and I opened my eyes.

"Have fun," Sareh said. I thought I noticed something in his voice that implied another meaning. As if to confirm my suspicions, he gave me a wink before turning around and heading for the kitchen. _Frisky Lucario._ I shrugged my shoulders and headed back out the patio doors. My excitement returned with full force again._ I couldn't wait to see Karyme's reaction._ I could see the back of her head, her fur glistening in the moon that had come out while I was inside. Very quietly, I rounded the corner and Karyme looked at me, seeing me appear. The expression on her face insantly registered as shock and a little bit of confusion. Her eyes grew wide and she jumped off of the swing. She didn't run up to me, but merely stared at me. It looked like she was trying to find her voice.

"Oh... Oh my gosh," Karyme said, stuttering a bit. "K-Kain? Is that you?" I had been smiling, but it quickly wiped off my face._ She thought I was her long-lost mate Kain?_

"Karyme... It's me... Alex," I said, taking a tentative step towards her. She went from looking merely taken aback, to stunned in the blink of an eye.

"Alex?" She carefully walked up to me and looked me deeply in the eyes. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah," I said rubbing my muzzle softly against her cheek. "It's me." She closed her eyes and placed her head underneath my chin. She didn't move at all. Our silent embrace seemed to sooth her. Her breathing relaxed. She was relaxed. _This was the first time I felt like I could really connect with her. The first time I felt good enough for her._ Karyme moved away and stared up into my face.

"How though?" She sounded breathless. Like she was still having trouble taking it all in. "How'd you do it?"

"Does it really matter though?"

"I guess not, but it's just so... unreal!" I laughed. It wasn't my usual laugh though. It was a bit more bark-like._ Probably had something to do with changing into a Houndoom._ A wild expression suddenly stole over Karyme's face. "Run with me," she said plainly. I was a bit confused at first at her sudden desire, but I grinned._ Finally I could test out these new legs._

Karyme must have taken my grin as a confirmation. She turned away from the house and bolted. The grin still on my face, I took off after her. She was across the yard in a couple of strides._ I'd never be able to catch her._ As soon as I got going however, I realized I could cross the yard in only a couple of strides also. I found myself eventually running alongside Karyme. The two of us ran out across the street behind my house and into a small wooded area, heading west. It was dark under the cover of the trees. Too dark for any normal person to see clearly ahead of them. But once again, I was surprised. My Houndoom eyes cut through the darkness as if it was only dim, instead of pitch black. They adjusted so that the dark looked more like twilight. _Now I knew why Houndoom liked it at night better. They can use their eyesight for better hunting when most pokemon only see blackness._ The trees flashed by on either side of us. I felt a little claustrophobic at first, but I got used to it quick. Once or twice I saw a tree coming up in front of me and I felt like I was going to smash head-on into it. But I guess even my reflexes were tuned better because of my transformation and I was able to dodge out of the way just in time. Karyme kept up beside me the whole time. I was wondering if she was getting tired yet._ I know I wasn't. If I was still human I'd probably have collapsed a long time ago, gasping for air. Now that I was a Houndoom though, I felt like I could go on for miles without needing to rest._

Our paws padded against the soft soil as we ran, making little or no noise. The trees around us began to thin, becoming more and more spaced out as we neared the edge of the woods. We came out into a beautiful meadow. I almost stopped running, just so I could stop and take in it's beauty. There were wildflowers as far as I could see, stretching over the ground in bright shades of yellow, white and magenta. Grasses grew too. The night breeze blew gently making them ripple that would cross the meadow in waves. The full moon completed the perfect picture. It's briliant rays shone down on everything. The grass glistened in the light, pronouncing itself whenever the grass rippled._ I was glad that I was here with Karyme._ I looked sideways at her as we ran and I saw that she was smiling. _Her smiles were contagious._ I smiled also. She started giggling._ Those were contagious too._ Our pace slowed until we were walking. Karyme's forepaw slipped on a loose pebble and she fell into me, sending both of us toppling to the ground. We both burst out laughing. The high grasses around us rose above our heads. We could only see the moon and the stars above us._ The only thing I was looking at though, was Karyme._ Karyme looked sideways at me, her laughter finally dying down. We stared at one another, our eyes transfixed on each other.

"There's no where on Earth that I'd rather be than right here with you," she said. _My response that I wanted to give her couldn't be put into words. It was beyond that._ I sighed and smiled warmly. Karyme seemed to understand. She nuzzled me affectionately, scooting right up next to me.

"So why did you think I was... Kain, earlier?", I asked a bit warily. I felt Karyme cringe a little tighter to me.

"I guess you don't know much about him. I've never told you," Karyme said plainly and unemotionaly. It sounded like it was something she was thinking, rather than saying. She looked up into my face. "Did you want me to tell you about him?"

"Only if it doesn't upset you to talk about him." Karyme rested her head on my chest.

"It doesn't upset me. Well... not anymore at least." Karyme paused. I stayed silent, not wanting to interupt her. "You of course know how he used to be my mate and was stolen from me against his will, right?" I nodded, wanting her to continue. "We grew up together in the pack. After we reached full maturity, he was the male all of the females were after. He wasn't as pouplar as the alpha though. Nobody was. But since the alpha was already taken, Kain was the next most wanted male. So all of the females wanted him, including me, but that wasn't how things worked in our pack. In our pack the males chose the females. The females could do nothing but hope they were chosen. They could of course refuse if they really wanted to, but most accepted any request. A mate was sort of a 'requirement' in our pack. If you didn't have one, you were looked down upon by the ones who had mates. The males had to be absolutely sure that their choice is true. Once you chose a mate, you were mates for life, no matter what. Excluding death."

"Now what about Kain then? If you two were mates for life, then why did your pack just let him leave?" Karyme let out a long sigh.

"That's the part I don't understand either. Apparently once you leave the pack, nobody is concerned with you anymore. They only deal with you if you become a threat. At first I was shocked how they could just stand by and watch." I wrapped a paw around her to try and comfort her some. "Anyways, when you walked out of your house, I thought... I thought you really were Kain. You two look almost identical."

"Does it bother you?" Karyme looked up at me confused. "That I look like Kain?", I explained a bit more. She rested her head back down on my chest again. "No. Actually, I'd rather have you like this. It makes you more sexy." I felt my face grow hot. Karyme looked at me, giggling softly.

"Well then we should enjoy it while it lasts!", I said smiling. Karyme's smile slid off of her face.

"What do you mean while it lasts?"

"Oh, that's right. I promised to tell you that. Well this morning while everyone was still sleeping, I drove out to Westfield City and talked to that researcher guy, Bill. He did a small procedure and gave me a vile of liquid to turn me into a Houndoom. I didn't tell you, because I wanted you to be surprised."

"Job well done I guess," Karyme said. "I was surprised."

"It only lasts 48 hours. Then I'll change back into a human."

"I guess we should enjoy it while it lasts then."

"So, are you satisfied with your new sexy Houndoom?" I laughed, Karyme giggled.

"Iresistable. My sexy Houndoom." She leaned up and kissed me on the cheek.

We talked the rest of the night away in that meadow. It was so peaceful. The tall grass still blew in the gentle breeze. The moonlight shone down briliantly on us. All was perfect. Nothing could shatter this moment for us. Our eyes locked together, the moonlight reflected in Karyme's. We said our goodnights to each other and we both fell asleep in each other's paws, but not before I let Karyme know I loved her.

**End Notes:** Wow, I did a lot of explaining in that chapter. Again, I appologize for the length, but I promise to you all the next one will be longer than usual! And I bet you most of you can guess what'll happen next chapter *wink wink* Well, Alex only has about 47-46 hours left before the sedative wears off and I promise this also. They will have fun! But for now, I'm out. Better get some sleep...


	15. Unforgettable Memories

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 15: Unforgettable Memories**

**Author's Notes: **Ugh, sorry again for the delay. I had a lot on my plate. Mostly it was those stupid "Lifeguard remedial classes." Nothing really exciting... On the upside, I finally got Microsoft Word on my computer! It'll be much easier to type now. Unlike the past 14 chapters. I used WordPad and wow was that annoying. But instead of boring you this time with my pointless rants, I'll get straight to the chapter now. This chapter has probably been my most favorite to write. I won't say anything else, I might spoil it somehow XD. I claim ownership to Alex, Karyme, Drake, Luna, Mytka, Jade and Malak. Oh boy, what a collection! Here's the chapter now.

**Recap:** Alex and friends explore Leynoh, Alex changes into a Houndoom, Karyme and Alex run off together.

My eyelids cracked open from the warmth of the sun against them. _It was morning. Glorious morning._ I picked my head up and yawned widely. I was still curled up with Karyme, holding her from behind. Her eyes were still closed, sound asleep. Her chest rose and fell with her breathing, where my paw was draped over her. She rolled in her sleep. Her paw fell over my neck and her nose brushed against mine. I could feel her breath on my muzzle. I smiled. I gave her a kiss and slowly stood up, trying not to wake her. I stretched and yawned again. My mouth and throat was dry. I was thirsty. My nose twitched and I thought I smelled… _was that… was that water I smelled_? It smelled fresh and crisp. _A mountain stream_. I sniffed the air. _It was definitely water. And it was coming from my… left._ Amazed, I set off in that direction. _How did I do that? I bet it had something to do with my Houndoom capabilities, but still, that was incredible. Well, I'll find out if I was right anyways if I found the stream._ Then I heard it. The soft sound of water trickling over rocks, downwards._ The stream. It sounded like it was close by._ I kept walking, expecting to see it around the next bend, but had to walk a couple of more minutes to find it._ My hearing was enhanced too._ I reached the water's edge and lowered my head to the surface, my tongue lapping at the clear liquid. The water slid down my throat, cool and refreshing, easily quenching my thirst. I picked my head up again and stared at my reflection in the water, occasionally a drop of water dripping off of my muzzle and splashing into the stream below. I stared at my reflection. _Wow, it didn't even feel like I was looking at myself. It felt like another Houndoom was staring back out of the water at me._ Then suddenly, there were two staring back at me. I jumped, quickly turning to my right. _Oh, it was only Karyme._

"Did I scare you?" she asked rubbing her head underneath my chin.

"No… well… yeah, a little bit."

"I felt you leave so I followed your scent here. You smell really nice." I felt my face grow hot. Karyme smiled and went to get a drink form the stream herself. Once she was done, we decided to keep heading west. Karyme wanted to see the mountains.

"So what's so great about these mountains?" I asked as we walked along a small path through the forest.

"Ever since I was a pup, I'd stare up at the mountains. You could see them from our pack's den site. Pups weren't allowed up there though. Tough pokemon populated caves and it wasn't the easiest climb. I told myself that once I was old enough, I'd take a trip up there. But then Kain chose me and I was just so excited, I forgot about it.

"Hmmm, I bet it'll have the best view." Karyme smiled at me.

"I was also hoping we could visit my old pack. I'm sure they'll still remember me."

"Will I be allowed? I am the 'Outsider.'"

"You should be. I mean it's not like we're going to stay. I just wanted to see everyone again, especially my best friend Faith. She'll absolutely love you! You're just like Kain." Karyme giggled. "She had a huge crush on him." We talked as we crossed the threshold into the Houndoom's territory. Karyme could tell we were. She said she remembered the smell so well. She was getting giddier with every step we took.

"It should be just over this hill," she said enthusiastically. She bounded out ahead of me and ran to the top of the hill, staring down at what must be the pack's den site. I ambled up behind her and glanced at her face just before I came over the crest of the hill. She looked shocked. _Was she that happy to see them?_ I stood by Karyme and looked down to where she was staring. I was shocked at what I was seeing too. Down in the den site, there wasn't anyone there. Smoke furled from some spots and I could make out a couple bodies of pokemon littering the ground, half of them Houndoom. _There was obviously a fight here and by the looks of it, recently._ Karyme took a step forward, the look of shock still plain on her face. Then she took off down the hill.

"Karyme! No!" I ran after her, shouting as I sped down the hill in pursuit. "It's not safe!" _Who knew what was down there… or still is._ I couldn't stop her now, she was too far ahead of me. Karyme ran into the den site. I half expected someone to jump out and ambush us. She stopped in the middle. The den site was a circular shape, with the dens all around the edges. Some of them were just holes in the ground, but others consisted of large boulders. The whole site was surrounded by trees, except for one opening, through which we came through. All around on the ground were dark spots, more prominently around the corpses. _Blood._ In the middle was where I was guessing the pack's main fire was. _Wasn't much of a fire now._ It was just a pile of smoldering ashes. Karyme stood in front of it, looking around with horror.

"Karyme. It isn't safe here!" I hissed quietly. "There could still be some of them hiding." Karyme was silent for a minute.

"Malak," she finally said.

"What?"

"Malak. He did this. Well, not him personally. He sent his pack… That's who attacked them." I was a bit stunned.

"How… how do you know for sure?"

"The other bodies," she said nodding to the body of a Manetric. "I smell his scent on them." I walked over to one of the bodies and sniffed. The smell stung my nose. I couldn't even describe the smell, but it was easy to match to Malak. I didn't like the smell, but it held something else. It made me slightly afraid. _That's probably what it was for. To strike fear into his enemies. I remembered when my mom used to tell me stories about Houndoom. It made me afraid of them. I could imagine pokemon mothers teaching their young the scent of Malak instead of ghost stories. If I were a pokemon when I was young, I'd probably be afraid too._

Karyme walked past me all of a sudden, breaking me out of my thoughts. She headed for one of the dens.

"Karyme! Don't!" _I didn't like the idea of her going into a dark den. Anything could be inside. _Karyme stuck her head in the den and pulled it out a second later. I closed the distance between us, standing next to her.

"This was my old den. I remember it so well." She spoke unemotionally, which was very odd for me. Her voice was always jubilant and full with emotion._ It hurt me._ I tried to push that aside and explain to her the dangers of what could be lurking in there. But before I could even open my mouth, she turned and ducked down inside. I quickly followed. It had a low ceiling, so I had to stoop to fit. Karyme was shorter than me, so she didn't have to try as hard. She made her way over to the far wall and lay down on the soft earth. I lay down next to her and wondered what she was doing. She stared at the wall. I looked too. Then I realized._ There were drawings scratched into the dirt_.

"These were my pup's drawings. It was so long ago." She traced her paw gently over the drawings as she spoke. I scooted closer and placed my paw on the back of hers. She smiled from my touch, but at the same instant, a tear trickled slowly down her cheek. She leaned her head into mine, closing her eyes. She breathed in and out deeply, occasionally I heard a small sniff. She sighed and shakily got to her feet. I followed suit and we both exited the den. I blinked in the bright sunlight. Karyme looked around the den site again. I noticed her eyes, still leaking tears, stopped on each of the dead Houndoom. _I could only imagine what this was doing to her on the inside. Seeing her home destroyed, her fallen friends lying in the dirt, bleeding from severe gashes. _It tore me up just thinking about her pain._ How did she do it? How did she keep it all inside her?_

"Faith?" I heard Karyme cry out suddenly. Her eyes were fixed on one of the dead Houndoom. "Oh no. Faith!" Karyme ran over to her friend with me following close behind. Karyme crouched down in front of the Houndoom, sobbing uncontrollably. She nuzzled her, picking her head up off of the ground. Faith's limp head fell back down with a soft thump, a small cloud of dust arising from the torched earth. I spotted a wound on Faith's throat when Karyme picked her head up. A huge chunk of her throat was missing. _I was pretty sure Karyme didn't see it. I hoped she didn't._ Karyme laid her head on Faith's side and cried even harder. I placed a paw on her back softly.

"Karyme, we should go," I said, my voice thick with concern. Karyme shook her head no. Her crying slowed a little, but the tears kept on coming. "Karyme, we have to go," I said a bit more forcefully. "We can't do anything now. It's not good for us to be here." Karyme clung onto her friend even more._ I had to get her out of here. It wasn't good for her. And it killed me to see her taken by so much grief._ She still wasn't budging however._ I'd have to get her out of here by force then._ I stuck my muzzle in between Karyme's neck and Faith and pushed her up. She resisted, crying harder now as she was pulled away from her best friend. I pushed her to her feet and backed her up, away from Faith. I crouched down low in case she tried to dart around me.

"Faith!" she screamed over my shoulder. Karyme dodged to my left and I jumped in front of her. Her body crashed into mine and I continued to push her back. Karyme cried out and bit her lip. She turned around and ran, a couple of drops of tears flying through the air behind her. I chased after her. She ran out of the den site and back over the hill. I thought she'd stop once we were over the hill, but she just kept on running. I pursued after her. _She'd have to stop eventually._ We ran through the thick forest until it dissipated into a long flat plain of grass. At the other end of this plain were the mountains Karyme was talking about. _They looked a lot taller now that we were almost directly underneath them._ I looked back down at Karyme. I could barely make out her head among the tall grasses. I ran to her side and lay down next to her. She was crying again. As soon as she realized I was there, she leaned her head on my neck. I pulled her over onto her side and wrapped my paws around her.

"Shhh, Karyme. I'm here," I said soothingly, rubbing my muzzle softly against her cheek. Her crying stopped, reducing to a couple of sniffs.

"Faith… She'd never do anything to hurt anybody," Karyme said in the same un-emotional voice. "She was my best friend. Really my only friend in the whole pack." She paused. "It's just not fair. Why her?" I kissed her to calm her a little.

"Well, Malak hurt me too. He killed my best friend Jade. I asked the same questions. Why her? She never did anything wrong. She was just an innocent little Pikachu. But then I thought, why anyone? What did any of his victims do to deserve their fate?" I paused and Karyme rested her head on my chest. "Nothing. They just got in his way. He's ruthless Karyme. He'll take down anyone to get what he wants." Karyme nestled her head deeper into my chest, wrapping her paws even tighter around me.

"I just… I just wasn't expecting the next time I would see her, I'd be seeing her…," she sniffed dejectedly. "Dead." I brushed my lips briefly against her forehead.

"None of us expect to see anything like that in our lifetime. It's horrible, but sometimes it does happen." I paused to take a breath. "Fate will have what it must and it changes our life, but life doesn't stop. It cannot stop. It must move forward, with us along for the ride whether we like it or not."

"I just can't stop thinking about her though."

"Well, remember the good times you had with her. Only positive memories. None of the bad ones."

"I don't think I ever remember not having fun when I was with her." She picked up her head and looked at me.

"See? There you go! Then you already have only good memories of her." Karyme's eyes began to tear up again.

"But that only makes it harder to lose her." She buried her head in my chest again and I could hear fresh sobs. I sighed. _I didn't know how I could get her to see anything positive. I even struggled to find something._ I looked up and around the plain. The grass blew occasionally in the wind, the mountains in the west standing tall above us. _That's it! The mountains! Karyme said just this morning that she wanted to climb them. This could be the only thing that would cheer her up._ I nudged Karyme softly.

"Hey. How about we head up the mountains? You said you wanted to for a long time." Karyme looked up into my eyes. She looked slightly happier at the thought. Her face showed more life and her eyes sparkled as they always did when she wanted something.

"Yeah. I did. Do you still want to go with me too?" I smiled.

"What, you think I'll just stay here and wave you off, wishing you a happy trip?" She smiled too, even if it was just a slight twitching at the corners of her mouth, but I counted it anyways. She licked my cheek and stood up with me. We talked casually until we got to the base of the mountain, then we had to focus on climbing. It was a pretty steep rock face and very difficult to climb. It was hard to even walk, because there were loose pebbles everywhere. Sometimes we even had to walk along narrow ledges or jump up them. A little while after we started climbing, dark purple clouds blocked out the sun. _Rain clouds._ _I could almost smell the fresh rain approaching._ I jumped up to a ledge where Karyme was waiting for me.

"We should look for shelter soon. It's gonna rain," Karyme said frowning at the gathering clouds.

"Yeah… We should," I replied, panting. Karyme smiled at me.

"Are you tired?" she asked a bit mockingly.

"A bit, I guess." My head drooped a little as I tried to catch my breath.

"Well, maybe we should take a break."

"No!" I said, my head shooting back up. "That storm isn't staying where it is." Karyme laughed.

"All right, all right. Let's keep going then." We headed up the mountains a bit quicker to try and avoid the rain. It was tiring, but we had to hurry. We were almost at the top when one second it was fine, with a light breeze blowing and the next, it was pouring. Within a minute, Karyme and I were soaked to the bone. I again jumped to a ledge above me where Karyme was waiting. I was panting hard, trying to blink raindrops out of my eyes. Karyme gave me a smile of encouragement.

"Almost there," she said before leaping to the next ledge. I jumped after her. Soon we were both on top. I sighed in relief and slumped to the ground, closing my eyes. I heard Karyme giggle next to me. Her warm muzzle brushed against my cheek. I smiled, still breathing heavily with my eyes closed. "Awww, it wasn't that bad," Karyme said.

"Yeah… for you… I've never… done that before." Karyme giggled again.

"Come on, let's head under those rocks and get out of the rain." I opened my eyes. In front of us was a large pile of semi-boulders that had an opening in the front. It looked like it was built by a couple of Graveler or Golem. _Hopefully there wasn't anything in there still._ Karyme trotted off to the shelter. I grunted and stood up to follow her. We both entered and instantly felt the relief of being out of the rain. The "cave" was roomier than I thought it would be. There was room in here for at least ten Houndoom to fit snuggly. Karyme shook herself the way all canine pokemon did, to get the water out of her fur. I tried to copy her, but I wasn't able to pull it off quite as well as she did.

"We may need some firewood," I said pointedly. "It'll get cold during the night since we're this high up."

"Oh damn," Karyme said. "We should have thought of that before we shook the water out of our fur." She looked at my dripping wet figure. "Well, one of us at least." I smiled.

"Thanks. I'm flattered."

"Wait here, I'll be right back."

"No way. I'll come with you." We headed back out into the rain. There were only a couple of trees surviving because of the lack of soil at this altitude. The ground was mostly rock. Karyme headed over to a pine tree with me following. I wondered how she'd get firewood from that tree. _It didn't look too promising. Would she light it on fire and grab a branch once it fell down?_ Karyme stared up at a branch above our heads._ There was no way we could reach it. We'd have to jump at least twenty feet straight up to reach it._ Karyme started running towards the trunk of the tree. I watched carefully. _What was she doing?_ Karyme ran up the trunk of the tree and when she was about halfway between the ground and the branch, she turned around and pushed off from the tree with her paws. I watched as everything slowed down while she flew towards the branch. Her paws reaching out in front of her, her jaws wide open, her teeth bared. Then she closed her jaws around the branch. She hung there for a second and then there was a huge splintering noise. The branch broke loose from the tree and Karyme let go of it. She landed lightly on all four of her paws and the tree branch crashed down next to her.

"I think this should last us the night," Karyme said. "Come on, help me drag it back." It took me a second to realize my mouth was hanging open. I quickly closed it and walked over to Karyme to help her. With both of us dragging it, we got it back in no time. When we were inside, Karyme shook all of the water out of her fur again. I didn't even bother to try. Karyme and I cut up the wood into small enough pieces to burn, using our teeth and claws._ The wood was so soaked through with water I didn't know if we'd get it to ignite._

"Are you sure we can burn this?" I asked Karyme. She was piling up the little pieces she made. "They look too wet to burn."

"Sure we can. Just because humans can't burn wet wood, doesn't mean everybody can't." She smiled at me as she put the last piece of timber in place. "Just watch." A jet of flame burst from her mouth, encasing the pile of wood in a blazing inferno. After a couple of seconds, she stopped and a crackling fire burned before us. I felt the instant warmth wash over me like I had just sunk into a tub full of hot water. Steam rose out of the wood rather than smoke, the rain evaporating from the intense heat. I stared in astonishment at both the fire and Karyme.

"Wow, you're so," I cast around my mind for the right word. "Hot." _I meant for my word to have more than one meaning._ Karyme giggled and blushed.

"Now don't start that," Karyme said. She looked me over once… twice… three times. The only noise being the pitter-patter of the rain and the soft crackling of the fire. "Oh come here and let me dry you off already. You're soaking wet!" _I had just remembered I was._ I looked down and saw that my sleek fur was matted down. I stood in a puddle of water that had dripped off me onto the ground below. I obeyed Karyme and walked over to her. I lay down and she followed suit, scooting up close behind me.

"Can you really dry me off by yourself?" I asked.

"Sure I can. It's easy enough."

"What are you going to do? Throw me in the fire?" Karyme gave a short laugh that turned into a little gasp. She swiped playfully at me with her paw.

"I would never do that! You're the only Alex I have!" Her paws flew around me protectively. I smiled and kissed her. After a moment she pulled back. I looked into her warm chocolate eyes. _How long had it been since I last looked into them? Too long, I think._ Karyme licked me once on my neck. And then again… and again. At first I thought she was trying to keep the moment alive, but after a minute, that thought vanished.

"Umm, Karyme? Just asking, but, what are you doing?" She stopped for a moment to answer before resuming.

"Drying you off." _Drying me… what? How?_ I pressed my nose to a spot on my neck she already passed her tongue over. _It felt… dry. Damp, maybe a little, but dry. Once again, I was amazed. If I could count the times I was amazed with her, just today… _She continued her work, covering my neck, head, back and forepaws. She raised her head and I assumed her job done. She smiled slyly at me.

"I'm not done yet," she said softly. "Roll over."_ I couldn't help but notice a hint of seduction in her voice._ I smiled and rolled onto my side slowly. Karyme bent her head down and resumed her work. She quickly got through my torso and worked her way down my stomach. She moved to my flank and then the other. She started on the inside and worked her way downwards until she met my sheath. Her licks slowed down and lengthened themselves. She licked dramatically over my sheath and lowered down to my furry balls. She took more time than necessary on them, but soon she was done. I didn't try to look like I was enjoying it too much, but it was impossible to not enjoy that.

"Dryer?" Karyme asked. She licked her lips slowly.

"Much," I replied. I wrapped my paws around her and pulled her down against me. _Her body was enticingly warm and her fur silky and soft. I'd forgotten how soothing it was to lay with her. It had been so long… _Karyme leaned her head up and kissed me. _I noticed the way she moved. I recognized it. She was being seductive._ I kissed her back._ All right, I'll bite._ Karyme rolled herself so that she was lying on top of me, with me on my back._ Then I smelled them._ I didn't realize at first exactly what I was smelling, but then it came to me._ Her pheromes. It was a sweet smell, but not sickly sweet. It was soft and warm. It made me think about honey and reminded me of the sun on a fair summer day. It wasn't strong at all. It flowed easily through my nostrils. Every time I breathed it in, it was like satisfying a huge craving. But it was a double-edged sword. It created a craving of its own. No. More like a hunger. It tore through my senses, clouding my mind._ With Karyme kissing me and her pheromes nearly driving me mad, it was hard to hold back an erection. _Karyme noticed, well, with her on top of me like that, it was impossible to miss._ I could feel Karyme smile as she kissed me and I could feel her chuckle deep in her throat. I pulled back my head and looked into her eyes. _I wanted to do this simply. Simple, but special. After all, this was a once in a lifetime thing. It was for our pup. It had to be special. _Karyme looked into my eyes too and understood what I was thinking almost instantly. She gave me one quick kiss and rolled off of me. When she did, I caught sight of my erection. _Of course it was different because I was a Houndoom, but it still startled me. Shiny and red, protruding from my sheath._ Karyme licked her lips as she saw it, but she stood up nonetheless. I rolled onto my stomach and stood up as well. Karyme turned around and moved her tail, presenting herself to me. I felt my length twitch a little as I took in the sight. Karyme looked over her shoulder at me, smiling warmly. _Invitingly._ I nodded, closing the gap between us. I anticipated what I should do and mounted her. Karyme shuffled a little under my weight. My forelegs wrapped around her flanks and I pulled myself farther up her back. Karyme inhaled sharply as my member poked at her waiting sex. I attempted to push in, but I felt resistance._ Hmmm, that can't be right._ I repositioned myself and tried again. _Still, there was a resistance. This was hard not being able to see where I was "going." Nothing like when I was human._

"Sorry," I said shortly to Karyme.

"It's okay. This is new for you. I can try and tell you where to go though." I repositioned myself again and tried. "To the right a little." I tried again. "A little bit more." Again. "Almost there…" I pushed forward for the sixth time and felt myself sink into her hot folds.

"Ooooo, there you go." I pushed myself the rest of the way in and paused, letting both of us adjust a little to the feeling. I pulled back out and pushed back in, repeating slowly. Karyme moaned slightly, closing her eyes as the intense feelings of her lower region swept in waves through her body._ It was much different as a Houndoom. My nerves were way more sensitive. My pleasure was heightened up a notch. I could feel my member sliding against her slick walls with each thrust. It was a heaven of pure bliss. Nothing I had ever experienced in my whole lifetime felt better than this. Nothing even came close._ My thrusts quickened a little and my pleasure grew. Karyme moaned again as my speed increased. _I could feel Karyme getting a bit wetter too. I really did hope she was enjoying this as much as I was. I hoped it felt special to her._ I heard my name slip out in between her moaning. She drooped her head a little, keeping her chin up, as my speed increased further. I could feel my knot slowly growing, pushing against her rump. Karyme's breathing became ragged and labored. Her walls tightened, squeezing my length._ She was pretty close._ My thrusts became a little harder and more erratic as I worked my way closer to my climax. Karyme gave one long, loud moan as she climaxed. Her walls constricted over my member and her juices flowed. My knot was swelled up to its full size by now. I gave a few more quick thrusts and my pleasure reached its peak. I thrust hard into Karyme and felt my knot pop inside of her as my seed jetted deep into her. Karyme moaned my name again loudly. I buried my face in the warm, soft fur on her back and moaned too. Every few seconds my member would twitch and leak out a few more spurts. Karyme's leg power slowly faded and she fell sideways to the ground. With my knot still stuck in her, I toppled over with her. Karyme and I were both panting as if we had run a marathon. I laid my head down on the ground and closed my eyes. Suddenly I felt Karyme's warm breath on my face. I opened my eyes. She had her head twisted around, looking at me.

"That was… amazing," she said.

"Yeah," was all I could say.

"Hold on… lemme…" Karyme picked herself an inch off of the ground and twisted herself around to face me. I felt my semi-limp length twist around inside her, my knot still anchoring me in place. Karyme slumped back to the ground, now facing me. "There we go," she said. She scooted up close to me and tucked her head under my chin. "Do you think it worked?" she whispered.

"I hope so," I said wrapping my paws around her lovingly. "This is probably the only thing that would work." She leaned her head up and softly kissed the crook underneath my chin.

"Me too." I ran my paw along the fur on the back of her neck.

"Did I do well for my first time as a Houndoom?"

"It was better than perfect." I smiled.

"Hey. Guess what?" Karyme swiveled her head and looked up into my eyes.

"Hmmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you more," she replied giggling slightly. My smile grew.

"I don't think so."

"Oh yes I do."

"Don't make me tickle you over it." We both laughed at the memories of us on Iron Island.

"True. We wouldn't want to start that again." I got lost as I stared into her warm eyes.

"I really do love you though. More than I can ever explain." Karyme smiled and kissed me again.

"I'm the same way. Nothing can separate us."

"Nothing will separate us," I added. Karyme closed her eyes and tucked her head back under my chin, snuggling deep into my chest. I held her tight, softly licking the top of her head. She sighed, shuffling slightly. We stayed locked in each other's embrace. My member slipped out of her, retracting back into my sheath. Karyme's breathing eventually slowed and leveled out. She easily drifted into sleep with me holding and soothing her. She mumbled something inaudible in her sleep. _I wish I could see what she was dreaming right now._ I sighed and nuzzled her lovingly. _I was pretty tired myself._ _I'd ask her in the morning._ My thoughts faded as I slipped into sleep.

The rain slowly ceased outside as the two Houndoom slept peacefully on top of the mountain. The moon came out from behind the clouds, illuminating the wet rock. But most prominently, it shone brilliantly off of the two Houndoom's fur coats. The Houndoom noticed nothing of this as they slept soundly in each other's arms…

**End Notes:** All right, there we go. Geez, Alex needs to work on his Houndoom skills, don't you think? Well, hopefully Alex and Karyme will have that pup they've been talking about. Again, I'm sorry for the length of the chapter, the length of the lemon, the long wait, and anything else I forget to mention. A lot of stuff has been going on and I really haven't had much time to write lately. I'll try and get the next chapter out as soon as I can, but I can't be really sure on a date. So, reviews! I love hearing from my readers! Thank you for your patience with my fucked up schedule. As for me, well, I'm going to go to bed now. I think I have the flu…


	16. Meeting Halfway

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 16:**** Meeting Halfway**

**Author's Notes:** Hey everybody! Spring Break is finally here! Today also happens to be my 17th birthday! Woohoo! Again, sorry for the long wait, but again I went for trying to make this chapter long, rather than getting it out quickly. Also, being Spring Break, I don't know if I'll be writing much until this week is over. Gonna have friends and family over, you know, the like. Anyways, down to the reason you're all here. Chapter's nice and long for yuh, and I maintain possession of Alex, Karyme, Drake, Luna, Mytka, Malak and Jade. Greg the Lucario owns Sareh. Enjoy!

**Recap: **Alex and Karyme find Karyme's pack destroyed, they climb the mountain, lemon.

I woke up in the dimly lit cave, the dying embers from the fire glowing. Karyme was curled up into a ball, pressed against my furry underside. Her breathing tickled my fur as she exhaled. I smiled. She was always so cute when she slept. I stood up gently and quietly so I wouldn't disturb her. Silently, I crept out of the cave and to the cliff's edge. _From here, atop the mountain, you could see the whole island. Literally. I could make out the East Coast on the other side of the island. This island was a good seventy miles wide, meaning east to west, and about thirty five miles tall, or north to south. _I faced west and lay down on the damp ground and crossed my paws in front of me._ I thought I might relax here until Karyme woke up. _The sun wasn't even up yet. I could only see a faint glow on the horizon. _Wow, I've never woke up this early willingly. I wasn't even tired at all. _I just saw the first rays of sun, when I heard paws walking along the rock behind me. I turned my head around and saw Karyme walking over to me. I smiled.

"Good morning," she called out to me.

"Morning," I responded. We both nuzzled each other and she laid down next to me, resting her head against my neck. I found that I could relax even more with Karyme there beside me. Half of the sun could be seen now. A flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto flew across the sky. _It was a really peaceful sight._ I turned my head and looked down at Karyme. She looked up and I looked into her eyes.

"I love you so much Karyme." She smiled and leaned up to kiss me softly.

"And I love you Alex," she said once she broke away. "I'm going to treasure this moment in my memory for the rest of my life." The rising sun gleamed in her eyes and shone off of her silky fur. _She really was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on in my life. _Karyme closed her eyes and placed her head against my neck again. I could have lied there with her for the rest of the morning, but unfortunately my stomach chose to intrude, giving a large growl. I heard Karyme chuckle softly.

"Breakfast does sound good right about now, huh?" Karyme said.

"Yeah, but what are we going to eat? There's no food way out here."

"Well," Karyme said, picking her head up again. "We could always hunt for some food." _Hunt? Like kill a pokemon and eat it? I'd never really thought of that possibility. Well, I might as well try it. I'd never get another chance to after I change back tonight. _I nodded.

"Okay, I can try," I said. _Karyme looked excited. She was probably ecstatic about the idea of shedding her knowledge of hunting. Really, I wish she'd save her teaching for our pup. Somehow, it made me feel like a Houndour pup. I didn't know anything about being a Houndoom. I couldn't keep up with her when we were climbing the mountain, she had more agility than me, I couldn't reach the branch, I kept "missing" last night and now I didn't even know how to hunt. I wished I could be a better Houndoom for Karyme._

"Karyme?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"I sometimes… get this feeling that I'm… I'm…"

"What is it Alex?" Karyme asked, snuggling closer to me.

"That I'm not good enough for you. I mean it's just that I-"

"Don't ever say that Alex," she said, gasping and cutting me off. "We are meant for each other and I think you're perfect." _She talked like she was scolding a child for saying an inappropriate word. _"I don't know about you, but that's enough for me. I have the best thing in the world. You. I wouldn't need anything ever again and I'd still be happy." I smiled.

"I would say the exact same thing about you. But you didn't let me finish."

"Oh." Karyme also smiled. "What were you going to say?"

"Well, the same thing I was saying before, except what I meant was, I don't think I'm a good enough Houndoom for you." Karyme's expression softened a little.

"Oh that. Well, I would imagine it would feel the same as being born a Houndoom two days ago. So for a two-day-old, you're doing pretty well."

"Wow, I never really thought about it that way before." Karyme nodded.

"To me it doesn't matter if you're good enough for me. As long as you're still Alex, I'll be happy."

"Yeah, you're right." Karyme kissed me lightly on my neck.

"Now, how about we hunt?" We descended the same way we came up. It took us a little bit more time because it still was a little slippery and neither of us felt like plummeting to our deaths. Once safely down at the bottom, we set off into the dense trees.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" I asked Karyme.

"Oh, I thought maybe Stantler or if we get lucky, a Tauros."

"Are there really Tauros here?"

"Yeah, I remember there used to be a whole herd. The hard part was trying to isolate one from the group to take down. They all look out for each other and even worse, attack as one. Attacking a whole herd head on is suicide." _The way she was making it sound, I'd be lucky to take down a Ratata._

"Let's try for a Stantler first." Karyme smiled.

"Okay. Try and see if you can smell or hear one." I closed my eyes and evened my breathing out into long, slow breaths. _I could smell the dirt, a flowery fragrance, Karyme and even that smell you get after a rain shower. I could smell so much, but I cold hear even more. The leaves in the trees rustling, the bird pokemon chirping, Karyme's steady breathing, the breeze blowing through the trees., a couple of hikers and the smaller pokemon's paws as they hit the dirt. I tried to isolate specific sounds and smells and try to match them up with a Stantler. I could smell a wet and musky coat of fur coming from the north and I could hear hooves stomping against the dirt coming from the same direction._ I re-opened my eyes.

"Did you find it?" Karyme asked.

"I think there's one to the north." I looked at Karyme. "Am I right?" Karyme beamed.

"Good job Alex!" I laughed.

"All right, let's go get it." We headed north at a quick trot. _I didn't know how far it was, but Karyme said it was no more than a quarter of a mile._ When we started to get close, Karyme and I slowed our pace and moved more stealthily. _I still didn't really know what to do., so I decided to just copy Karyme._

"Okay, here's what we have to do," Karyme said talking in a low voice. "The Stantler is just through there. You wait here and after about a minute, charge out there and scare it away."

"Wait, hold up a second. Scare it away? Why would we want to do that?" I was completely stumped. _What was her plan?_

"Yes. And with any luck, it'll run right into me. I'm going to circle around it to the other side so we'll have it in between us. That's why you'll have to wait a minute, so I'll have time to get into position. Then all you have to do is scare it to run right at me and I'll jump out and surprise it."

"What do we do if it isn't scared or attacks me?"

"If it attacks you, shout and I'll come back to help."

"And if it isn't scared?"

"Do you know how to look frightening?" I thought on this one._ I wasn't really ever known for being "intimidating."_

"I'm a quick learner."

"Okay, the first thing you should do is bend your knees, pull back your lips and bare your teeth. This will show it that you are not a friend. Make sure that when you do bare your teeth, you don't have your jaws closed. Otherwise it'll seem like a smile, a friendly gesture. Also make your growl or snarl sound genuine. Umm… I feel like I'm forgetting something… Oh yeah! Bristle your fur out. It'll make you look bigger than you actually are."

"All right. Stance, teeth, growl and fur. You know this whole plan sounds a bit over-thought to me. Why couldn't we just jump it and get it over with? Didn't your mom ever tell you not to play with your food?" Karyme smiled mischievously.

"Not that I can remember." With that, she took off at a stealthy walk through the trees. I remembered my part of the plan. _One minute, one minute. I hope I could pull this off._ I started slowly pacing to pass the time. _Stance, teeth, growl, fur, stance, teeth, growl, fur._ I shook my head and thought to myself._ Come on, this is easy. You're getting worked up over nothing._ I stopped pacing and stared into the trees where the Stantler was._ Easy, my part was simple. The minute was almost up._ I crouched down and faced the direction of the Stantler, getting ready to spring. I counted out ten more seconds in my head. I morphed my face into what I imagined was a frightening look. _And… Now! _I bolted through the trees and underbrush until I saw the Stantler. I skidded to a halt on my paws about ten meters from it, my face still showing hostility. My fur bristled out and I crouched down. I then focused on my growl. I reached deep down inside of me, trying to summon up a decent growl. Instead a vicious snarl rose up inside of me and tore through my open maw. The Stantler's head jerked toward me and it took off the same second. I almost forgot I had to follow. With another snarl ripping through me, I charged after it. Then I noticed something started to change with me. _I couldn't really explain what it was though._ My vision altered. My peripheral vision blurred and at the same moment, my center of vision intensified, became clearer.It was solely focused on the fleeing Stantler. My mind was thinking one thing. _Get it. Take it down. _My speed increased, as did my reflexes. I wove in and out of the trees faster. _I was catching up. I felt like if I didn't succeed in catching the Stantler, I would die. I felt like my whole life depended on it. Like our lives were now linked. Nothing was more important to me now._ I was startled when I heard a loud short growl. A blurry figure leapt out from the trees on the right at the Stantler. It entered my center of vision and I recognized it as Karyme. She hit the Stantler hard, closing here teeth around its neck. They both fell to the ground, the Stantler letting out a cry of distress. Karyme quickly released her grip and bit down hard on its jugular vein, going for the kill. The Stantler cried out again, its legs flailing around from the pain. Karyme held her grip. She had to move around a couple of times because the Stantler rolled occasionally. Slowly the Stantler's movements became more gradual and a second later, it went limp. Karyme waited a couple more seconds before loosening her jaws. She looked up, panting, blood dripping from her teeth.

"She put up less of a fight than I thought she would," Karyme said, looking back down at the Stantler.

"She?"

"Yes, she's female. I can smell it. Good thing it wasn't a male though. They get really aggressive during mating season." I looked down at the Stantler too.

"So how do we eat it?"

"Well, it depends on what you like really." She walked over to the Stantler's rear. "I prefer the flank and hindquarters." (I'm sorry to all of those who are a bit squeamish. You can skip over this part if you want to.) Karyme bent down and bit into the right flank of the Stantler. She placed a paw on the Stantler and pulled with her teeth. She tore off a small piece with a slight ripping sound. Blood dripped steadily off the piece she held in her mouth and out of the opening the piece left on the Stantler's body. Karyme swallowed the meat after barely chewing on it. "You should try it," Karyme said, licking the blood off of her lips. "It's really only good fresh. If you leave it out for a while it gets all tough and cold and dry." _All right, it shouldn't be too bad. Since I was a Houndoom after all, it'll probably taste better than if I was human._

"Okay, I'll try…" I looked carefully over the Stantler eventually settling on its underside area. "The ribs." I bent my head down to the area just behind the foreleg joint._ Come on now, it won't be so bad._ I mentally sighed. _Okay, here we go._ I opened my jaws and slowly sank my teeth into the flesh. My tongue briefly brushed over its fur. _Well, its fur tasted the same as it smelled. Damp, musky and full of dirt._ I pulled at the meat lightly, pulling harder as nothing happened. The Stantler's carcass slid slightly towards me. I placed my paw against its side like Karyme did and pulled harder. With the same ripping noise, I pulled a little piece of flesh off. I pulled my head back and looked to Karyme. She chuckled.

"Are you going to eat it?" _Oh yeah, I forgot that part._ I chewed on it slightly. It tasted actually almost like a very rare steak with a little bit more blood. (Yes, I have tried deer before and it does taste like steak) It felt soft, warm and juicy in my mouth. I tried to focus on the flavor rather than the texture. _It wasn't bad tasting, but just not very appetizing to know what I was chewing on. The fur was the worst part though. It tasted like someone had decided to roll the meat around in dirt._ After chewing it up a little bit more, I swallowed it. I could feel the rather large piece slowly sliding down my throat._ Well, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best tasting thing I had ever eaten either._

"Well?" Karyme asked. "How was it?" I shrugged.

"It was all right I guess." Karyme gave me a nod of confirmation.

"Personally, this isn't the best part of hunting for me. I like the 'being sneaky part'" I smiled.

"I think the same, except my favorite part is the chase." Karyme cast her eyes back to the Stantler.

"That was Kain's favorite too." My smile vanished.

"Does it hurt you to see so much of Kain in me?" Karyme looked back up, her eyes soft.

"It does the opposite. It makes me love you that much more." My smile returned again, as did hers. We stared at each other for a couple more seconds before I finally spoke.

"So, should we finish eating?" We continued eating, talking in between bites. _This was probably the Houndoom version of a candlelit dinner at a table for two in a fancy restaurant. Except for me, it was the two of us, eating bloody strips of meat off of the ground, during the middle of the day. But at least I was doing it with Karyme. Once we had our fill, we decided to move on._

"What are we going to do with the rest of the Stantler?" I asked. Karyme frowned.

"It is a shame to waste so much food. What we would usually do is bring it back to the pack for the injured, old or weak Houndoom who couldn't hunt. But I think other scavenging pokemon will like that we left it for them." She looked up to the sky as she said this. I looked up also. Above us were a couple of Spearow and Murkrow circling, waiting for us to move on.

_Today was my last day as a Houndoom. I did feel a little down-hearted about it. It was an amazing two days. I couldn't have pictured it better. I really did hope it worked and Karyme was pregnant. It was the whole reason I was a Houndoom anyways. We should find out the answer to that question in about three days. A pokemon's pregnancy is different than that of a human's. A human usually begins showing she is pregnant after about two or three months and nine months before they actually give birth. For a pokemon, they begin showing in about three or four days and give birth after about three weeks. Pokemon are in everyway mammals, except that they lay eggs instead of a live birth. They could hatch out of their egg, anywhere from a few hours to a few years. At least our pup will be a Houndour for sure. It was suspenseful not knowing if Drake and Luna's pup was going to be a Riolu or a Charmander. _I looked sideways at Karyme as we walked. _She looked like she was deep in thought too._

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Karyme looked over at me.

"I was just thinking about our future together." This sent chills down my spine._ Not the bad ones, but the good chills. It was because I knew I'd be with Karyme forever no matter what and I guess Karyme knew that too._ I smiled.

"And? What's your deduction?" Karyme laughed.

"Well, now that we've been together so long and probably have a family started-"

"We do have a family started," I said, nuzzling her gently.

"Right, we do have a family started. But now that that's all done, what's next for us?"

"Hmm, that's a tough one," I said looking straight ahead again.

"I mean, Malak's obviously still out there from… from what happened the other day. And we don't know what he's planning on doing next. If he can attack a whole pack, what's stopping him from getting to us?"

"Karyme, it's all right. As long as we're together, there's no way he's going to get any of us."

"I know, but it still does worry me. We seem so vulnerable, especially while we're sleeping."

"Yes, that is true I guess. I know it sounds corny, but you Drake, Luna, Mytka and I are bonded together by family, friendship and love. Malak and his followers are loosely bonded by dominance, fear and hate. We would do anything for each other, but Malak doesn't care whether his followers live or die." Karyme was walking, but looking down at her forepaws. "Come on Karyme, it'll be okay." I nudged against her lightly. She nudged me back still looking at the ground. I bumped into her a little harder this time. Karyme looked up grinning as she bumped me back letting out a small chuckle. I bumped into her with more force, making her stumble a little to the side. Then I took off running ahead of her. I heard Karyme yell "Hey!" in a playful tone. I didn't run fast, so Karyme would be able to catch up with me. I heard Karyme catching up quickly. I turned my head around as I ran, laughing as Karyme ran up to me, a huge smile on her face. With a small growl she tackled me, the both of us tumbling to the ground and rolling through a patch of bushes. The both of us wrestled and rolled around on the ground, fighting for dominance over each other. Karyme and I both laughed together. With a final effort, Karyme pushed me underneath her and pinned me to the ground.

"I win," Karyme said. She licked my neck and laid down on top of me. She rested her head on my neck and wrapped her paws around me. "I wish we could be like this forever, not having to care about anything or anyone anymore, except for each other." Karyme sighed softly. "Wouldn't that be nice Alex?"

"It would be," I said, licking Karyme's muzzle. Karyme nuzzled her head underneath my chin. "But you know, if we keep getting distracted like this, we'll never get home." I heard Karyme giggle.

"You're right, we should keep moving." So we kept heading towards home, talking and laughing most of the way. We walked through the vast landscape, watching it pass by. The sun, being at its peak when we started off again, slowly sank beneath the tall trees. It threw an array of goldenrod, orange and deep violets across the evening sky. _I should change back a little bit after twilight, so I had to be back in my room before then or risk someone seeing me change into a human again._

Karyme and I silently crept back into my neighborhood and crossed the street behind my house again. We made out way through the small patch of trees behind my house and stopped. I turned to Karyme.

"Okay. I need to get back to my bedroom quietly without my mom noticing. I'm going to walk out and head up there first. If my mom confronts me, I'm just going to pretend like I'm you. If you don't hear anything before you hear my door close, than that means it's safe for you to come out. If not, I'll come back out and get you. Sounds good?"

"Yep."

"Okay, see you in a bit then." I slinked forward through the trees and made my way towards the house. The back door was thankfully open._ My mother loved the cool breeze blowing through the house. _I walked as quietly as I could, cursing my nails for making loud clicking sounds on the concrete patio. I poked my head slowly inside the house, peeking through the door. My mother was lying back on the couch, clutching onto a glass filled with an amber liquid. I recognized this as her usual "evening retreat." _After her celebrity show, she'd pop open a bottle of sherry and lie on the couch for about an hour. The glass she was holding was nearly full, so I wouldn't get caught if she decided to get up. Either she had just sat down, or she was having a really bad night._ I walked cautiously through the doorway and made my way over to the stairs. I stepped lightly on the hardwood floor so my claws wouldn't click. At that second, Luna emerged from the kitchen clutching a glass of sherry between her paws. I froze mid-step, Luna and I staring at each other. A look of realization swept over Luna's face and she smiled, giving me a small wink. I smiled too and nodded, continuing over to the stairs and mounting them. _Thankfully my mother had the stairs lined with a large runner rug, so I could leap up them lightly two or three at a time without making a sound. _I watched out of the corner of my eye as Luna sat down on the couch next to my mother.

"So did Alex mention when he would be coming back LeAnn?" Luna asked my mother._ It was the first time in a long time I heard someone say my mother's name._

"He said for about two or three days, so he should be back tomorrow morning hopefully."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back soon." I emerged on the landing and headed for my room. As I shut the door, my acute hearing picked up my mother's voice.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Oh, it was probably the breeze blowing in through the patio door." I smiled at Luna's remark. _Any minute now I should change back._ I leapt up onto my bed. _I really didn't feel like falling on the floor when I transformed back. _As I lay down and rested my head on my pillow, I thought to myself._ Well, these were my last few moments as a Houndoom_. I raised one of my paws in front of my face and examined it. _It had been fun, but I think I liked being human better._ I let my paw drop back down and swished my tail around in front of me. _It was just amazing that I could call it my tail. _I waved it around in front of me a little more, watching as it passed through the last rays of the evening sun. Then I noticed that my tail started to shrink slowly. _I was changing back._ I let my tail fall back to the bed and watched my paw again. My fingers slowly lengthened, my claws turning back into human nails. I felt my horns slowly retract into my skull, along with my muzzle and my teeth steadily shrinking back to their normal size. The fur along my body sank back into my skin, some of it just turning to the hair on my head, arms and legs. My body felt weak again as I laid there._ I was human once again._ I slowly picked my head up, feeling a bit dizzy as I did._ My body was back to normal._ I realized that I was naked, my clothes lying in a heap close to the door. I guess I didn't really notice them fall off when I changed. I grunted and rolled, off of my bed, too tired to actually sit up. Something very strange happened though. Instead of falling on the floor like I thought I would, I landed on my palms and the balls of my feet, barely making a sound. _Huh. That was weird. I reacted as if… as if I were still a Houndoom._ Then I realized I could still hear Luna and my mother downstairs laughing. _It wasn't as clear as when I was actually a Houndoom, but I couldn't hear that good when I was human. Could it have something to do with Karyme's genes? They were infused into my DNA, but they were recessive. It couldn't. But could it? Did I have a bit of Houndoom in me? _I slowly pushed myself back up onto my feet and walked over to my clothes. I pulled my shirt over my bare chest and slipped my pants back on. _If I was though, it couldn't be very much. I mean, I'm obviously still more human than Houndoom. So, I do possess some of the Houndoom traits, but was this supposed to happen? Bill never mentioned anything like this. I'd have to send him an e-mail or something to ask him._

With myself fully dressed, I opened my bedroom door to find Karyme standing just outside. She smiled as she saw me.

"Back to normal again?"

"Yeah, it does feel a bit weird though." Karyme jumped up, draping her forepaws over my shoulders.

"I'm glad I have you back to normal. Now we can travel again." I hugged Karyme close.

"Don't worry, we'll get moving again soon." Karyme looked me deep in the eyes and I gazed back.

"Alex, you're back." I looked over to the stairs to see Sareh.

"Oh hey Sareh, yeah got back just now." Karyme hopped down off of my shoulders and sat down on the floor next to my feet.

"Great, me too. Drake sure is entertaining." I laughed.

"Yeah, he's a riot. Did you spend the day with him?"

"Sure did. I have to say I didn't take to the flying bit as much as Mytka did."

"So where are they now?"

"Still outside. I think Mytka has an endless dimension of energy stored inside of her. She is as wide awake as she was this morning." I laughed again.

"It takes a lot to wear her out." I walked up to Sareh and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, we were gonna head back tomorrow. Is that all right with you?"

"No, that's perfect. I'll need to be getting back to my colleagues anyways."

"We'll leave first thing in the morning then."

"Excellent." Sareh, Karyme and I descended the stairs and back into the living room. Luna was still talking to my mother. My mother looked up as the three of us reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Alex! You're back!"

"Hey mom, how's it going?"

"How was your trip dear?" she asked, getting up and walking around the couch to give me a hug._ Ugh, she was starting up with the "dear" thing again._ "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, it was loads of fun. I'm beat from all of the walking though." I walked over to the couch and sat down, leaning back into the pillows.

"Oh shoot. I forgot that we already had dinner. We were expecting you back tomorrow. I'll go make you a plate real quick."

"No," I said as my mom started for the kitchen. She stopped and turned back around. "I'm fine for now. Thanks." Karyme hopped lightly onto the sofa and lay down next to me, resting her head on my lap. Luna sat down in on of the armchairs and Sareh sat down on my other side.

"Well, I have a bit more cleaning up to do. I'll join you all in a few minutes," my mother said, heading for the kitchen again.

"All right mom," I replied, turning my head and giving her a smile. She returned it and disappeared through the kitchen doorway.

"So anything exciting happen since I left?"

"Not much has happened," Luna said. "Drake, Mytka and Sareh mostly explored, but I stayed here with your mother. She taught me how to make cookies. It's amazing how humans can combine simple foods and spices to make a new extraordinary food."

"You mean you've never had a cookie?"

"Never."

"You're missing out on a lot of great foods then." Luna looked amazed. "So, how about you Sareh? What did you do?"

"Well, like Luna said, we explored the island. Drake, Mytka and I. I'd have to say, this island is a very great vacationing spot."

"That's what it's known for. It does get a bit annoying though with all of the tourists in the winter months when it's too cold up in Sinnoh. People migrate down here and fill the place up." I placed my hand on the back of Karyme's neck and scratched gently. Karyme sighed and scooted closer to me. "I'm just gonna close my eyes for a minute," I said, failing to stifle a yawn.

"Big day?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, lot of running." I leaned back into the soft cushions, still lightly scratching the back of Karyme's neck. _Just a few minutes…_

But Alex was out a few seconds later. Sareh and Luna both stood up and let him rest. Alex's mother found Alex and Karyme both lying on the couch together an hour later.

"Karyme," she whispered. "Would you like to go upstairs and sleep on the bed?"

"Oh, do you mind if I sleep here tonight?" Karyme whispered back. "I'm quite comfortable here."

"Yes, that's fine. I'll get you two some blankets." Alex's mother left and was back a minute later with two blankets. She draped one over Karyme and the other over Alex.

"Thank you," Karyme whispered.

"Goodnight," Alex's mother responded, switching off the lights.

"Goodnight," Karyme said. Alex's mother made her way up the stairs. Karyme waited until she heard the door close before sitting up and giving Alex a small lick on his cheek. "Goodnight to you too Alex. I love you." She settled back down, laying her head on Alex's leg again. Eventually, her eyes slowly shut and she drifted off too…

The morning's sunlight poked through the patio door. I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of my mother cooking breakfast in the kitchen. I looked down and saw Karyme was already awake, gazing up at me.

"Good morning Karyme."

"Morning Alex." I leaned down and hugged her close. She licked the bottom of my chin tenderly before I pulled away.

"Ready to get going again today?"

"Yes, even though we've traveled the last two days, I still like seeing new places."

"All right, as soon as everyone's ready, we'll leave." Karyme and I both ate breakfast, waiting for the others to wake up. They all wandered in separately. Luna and Mytka first, a couple of minutes later Sareh and nearly an hour after that, Drake. After everyone was done and I had all of my things packed, I said goodbye to my mother and headed out the front door. I put Karyme and Luna back in their pokeballs. Mytka wanted to stay out for the ride.

"You sure you're going to be able to carry all of us Drake?" I asked.

"No problem, at least this time I know how far I have to go."

"Sareh, you're okay with flying right?"

"Of course I am. Flew with him all day yesterday. He needs to work on his landings a little more however."

"Hey, I already told you I was trying to stay clear of that Fearow. He was giving me looks man," Drake said. I laughed.

"I thought you were supposed to be the tough guy?"

"Yeah, well… whatever, just get on." Sareh and I mounted Drake's back.

"All aboard the Drake Express," Drake said sarcastically. "Please keep your hands and feet inside at all times… ah, you know the rest." I got up onto Drake's back and settled myself just behind his wing joint with Sareh right behind me. "And Mytka gets to fly up front with the captain!" Mytka jumped into Drake's arms. He spread his wings and we took off into the air. Being still morning, the sun was bright, hanging just above the tree line. The warm air blew by us as we flew out over the forest again. It didn't take us very long to get to Westfield City.

"You said your friends were staying at the lodges?" I asked Sareh.

"Yes, you do know where that is don't you?"

"Sure do," I said turning back forwards again. "Drake, go right here." Drake turned right and we flew out over the last trees until we hit the coastline. Drake flew low so Mytka could dip her paw in the warm water. She laughed and giggled as we flew along the beach. The tourist lodges came into view and Drake descended to the main entrance. Sareh hopped down from Drake's back, turning around to face us.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now Alex. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Yup, no problem Sareh," I said extending my hand. We shook hands (well, Sareh's paw, but you get the idea) "See you later."

"Thank you for the ride Drake, I appreciated it."

"Hey, it was nothing. See yuh dude."

"Bye mister Sareh!" Mytka exclaimed, waving her paw frantically so Sareh would see her. Sareh smiled and with a final wave he turned around and walked off into the lodge complex.

"All right, next stop Sunnyshore City."

"You better have that tent ready as soon as we get there, 'cause as soon as we land, I'm crashing," Drake said as he spread his wings and we took off into the sky again.

**End Notes:** Well, finally. There it is. I'm sorry, but I did get a little rushed towards the end. So yeah, if you guys didn't get the part where Alex apparently has Houndoom traits now, I'll explain. He still has some of the characteristics, so like he has better reflexes and sometimes if he were to get mad he might growl. It's mostly invisible and nobody who didn't know wouldn't notice it unless you stayed around him for a long time. On a second thought, some people have come to me with questions about the pronunciation of some of the names. Mytka sounds like "me yacht ka", Malak sounds like "malack" and Karyme sounds like "kuh reem." If you still can't get it, open up Narrator (for people who have PC) and open up word pad and type in "meyachtka" "malack" and "kareem" and he says it to near perfection. Anyways, this chapter's long enough, so I'll see you all next time! Don't forget to drop in a review before you go! Thanks!


	17. Growing Responsibilities

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 17: ****Growing Responsibilities **

**Author's Notes:** Hey, I'm extremely sorry about the long delay. Business had to attend to, work was slower the past month. Anyways, school's finally almost over! Last day of school for me is tomorrow! I'm so excited for summer and you all should be too! Summer means my update times will considerably be reduced which means more story! This chapter is insanely longer than all of my usual chapters! Total word count: 8,182 words in all! I finally broke the 8,000 word mark! So, now to the important stuff. I retain possession of Alex, Karyme, Jade, Drake, Luna, Mytka, Malak, and another character you will soon meet! Well, I've definitely said too much, so let's get on with the chapter!

**Recap: **Alex and Karyme hunt, Alex changes back to human, Alex finds out about his "odd" characteristics he's picked up, Sareh says goodbye.

…Karyme… Jade… Not again… Why?... Why does this happen?... I ask myself this question ten… A hundred… A thousand times… I'll ask… I'll ask again… But there will always be no answer… There never is… Maybe… Maybe there never will be… No more can I take this… No more can I stand it… No more can I watch them… Suffer… Plead… Die… End this pain… This everlasting… Agonizing pain… My pain… Their pain… Their soul chilling screams… Their flesh ripping… Their blood spilling… Staining the floor… Staining it with their agony… There is no hope… As long as I remain here… But then again… Was there ever?...

…They do not deserve it… They never did… And never will… But am I the one being punished?... Tortured endlessly?... Have I been damned to hell?... For what crime though?... For loving?... Is there even such a thing as punishment for love?... Well… There is one… It hurts more… Stings more… Than any physical pain… It thrashes around inside of you with no possible escape... It is no mere wound… It is a wound that bores deeper into you every second with a serated edge… It is having your heart broken… Torn apart and cast aside… It hurts… At least that is what I've been told… I have never experienced it first hand… Am I now?... Could this be it?... Once again I ask… Why?... I still love… Others still love me… Why must I be punished like this?... Eternally…

…I suddenly felt myself falling… Falling through the blackness… Falling to nowhere… My numb body collided with something very solid… I had no strength… I could not lift myself up… I heard… I heard a deep chuckle… All around me, in a large circle, small lights erupted to life… Candles… They gave off a reddish glow… Their dim light hazily lit the area around me… I heard the low chuckle again… This time I could make out where it came from… I stared straight ahead of me now… Two glowing orbs burst forth from the darkness… I struggled with my limp muscles… I had to get up… To face whatever it was… I pushed my muscles to their limit… I could barely lift myself up… I was on my hands and knees, panting for breath… I looked to the orbs again… I could make out a large sillohette behind the orbs… Eyes… They were eyes… Icy blue eyes… They pierced through me… Froze me in place… I forgot everything around me as my gaze locked with it's… It spoke… "Do not waste what little energy you have human"… It's voice was smooth… It spoke with a deep sense of knowledge… I wasn't facing just any being… "You, a pathetic human, do not deserve what has been given to you"… What does he mean?... I opened my mouth to speak… The creature narrowed it's eyes… My open jaw snapped shut… Some invisible force had silenced me… "You shall not speak. Your words are meaningless in my presence"… What's happening?... Who is this?... What does he mean I don't deserve what I have?... "You are not meant to love… You are not pure"… Who is he to say I'm not allowed to love?... How can I not be pure?... Anyone can love anyone or anything they choose… There are no boundaries to love… "Your love is false… Your lover is false… There will be no one to love you"… No!... That is not true!... I tried to speak again… My mouth was still sealed tight… I have to protest… I must protest… I opened my jaw with all of the strength I had left… My lips were melted together as if someone had sewn them shut… They ripped slightly… I felt blood leak into my mouth… I screamed… The creature laughed… Pain… No more pain… "Do not try to resist Alex… You are only crippling your weak body further… Nobody can help you now… You are very much alone without love"… Liar!... I am loved!... I pulled my jaw open… Screaming at the same time… I felt dizzy… I fell to the ground… I bled… The agony… Make it stop!... No more!... I screamed out to the blackness… The dim, flickering lights slowly faded… I choked on the blood dripping down my throat… End it… Now… Please… The blue spheres… The eyes… They slowly faded away too… The only sound was the creature laughing… And my echoing screams… There was no one… No one to help me… I felt very much… Alone…

I bolted upright in my sleeping bag, gasping for air. I quickly looked around the tent to make sure the blue eyes weren't staring at me out of the darkness._ Everyone was still asleep._ Luna rolled over, probably from the noise of my sudden movement. My head throbbed and I felt dizzy. The next thing I knew, my head hit the pillow and I was out…

I woke up the following morning to Mytka tapping my cheek with her paw.

"Uncle Alex. Uncle Alex! Come on, time to wake up!" I grunted and sat up.

"Morning to you too Mytka." Mytka smiled and jumped into my lap. "What time is it anyways?"

"It's almost midday. You've been sleeping a long time." I looked out the open flap of the tent. The sun was shining bright against the grass.

"Midday huh? Well, I guess I'd better get up then." I grabbed Mytka under her armpits and picked her up. I set her down on top of my head. She laughed and wrapped her paws around my forehead tightly.

"Yay! Giddy up!" I smiled and walked out of the tent. Outside, Drake, Luna and Karyme were sitting around the fire. Luna was using her newly acquired cooking skills, learned from my mother and was making lunch. She was holding a wooden spoon in between both of her paws, stirring the contents of the pot. _It smelled good._

"Hey everybody," I said walking over to the campfire.

"Wow, you slept longer than me!" Drake said sarcastically. Karyme smiled at Drake's comment and scooted up close to me as I sat down.

"Oh no, did Mytka wake you up?" Luna asked. "I told her to just go and check to see if you were awake yet."

"Nah, it's a good thing she woke me up. I hate wasting the day by sleeping," I said waving it off. "Wow, lunch smells amazing. When's it gonna be ready?"

It was a fairly nice day out today. We decided to just kick back and relax. After we took off from Leynoh Island and headed back to Sinnoh, I thought that it would be nice if we headed for Valor Lakefront instead of going straight to Sunnyshore City. It was a quaint little settlement, but it was always buzzing with tourists, especially during this time of year. (It's about March 20th or 21st if you forgot) It was set right on a ten mile wide beach overlooking the ocean. Even though there was a very nice hotel we could stay in, we all agreed it would be more fun to camp out. So today, being a near perfect day, we went to the beach after lunch. Luna and Mytka were playing around in the water, with Drake flying around above them. _He couldn't risk getting his tail drenched, for obvious reasons._ Karyme and I were lying out on the warm sand together.

"Today's so nice," Karyme said. I looked sideways at her. She was lying on her stomach with her eyes closed. I reached out and caressed the back of her neck lightly.

"Yeah, it sure is," I said. Karyme opened her eyes and we gazed at each other. She scooted herself up close to me and laid her head on my chest.

"Alex,' Karyme said simply.

"Hmm?" I replied, laying my head back on the warm sand and closing my eyes. I felt Karyme's soft head move on my chest and her rough tongue lick against the bottom of my chin.

"Alex, I think I'm pregnant." I picked my head up and looked down at her. I didn't know what to say. I just stared, lost for words, at her.

"Are you serious?" She nodded her head. _Well, of course she was serious. She wouldn't joke about something like that._ "Are you sure?"

"Well, sometimes pokemon can tell when they're pregnant and I just have this sort of gut feeling that I am." (Pun NOT intended) A smile broke over my face.

"That's… wow! Pregnant! We're going to have a pup Karyme!" I hugged her close to me. Karyme laughed.

"I know! I'm so excited!" Karyme said. I pulled away from her and gazed into her warm chocolate brown eyes.

"I love you so much Alex."

"And I lo-" I yelled, for at that moment, someone or something grabbed me and hoisted me up into the air.

"Come on lovebirds. Time for some exercise," I heard Drake say somewhere below me. I struggled against his grip as he started walking towards the ocean.

"Drake! Put him down!" Karyme cried out. I looked down and saw Karyme standing, jumping up and snapping her jaws at Drake's head.

"Nope!" Drake replied. "You guys have been lying here all day, doing nothing."

"Hey, what's wrong with that?" I asked. Drake laughed.

"Nothing! I just have more fun this way!" So, once again, Drake made me unwillingly go for a swim…

**Three weeks later…**

_It was a long day today and every one was beat. Well, except for Mytka of course._ The sun was sinking slowly behind the trees off to the west. Karyme was also well into her pregnancy by now. _Any day now…_ Karyme and I were resting on the soft grass next to the warm campfire. Drake, Luna and Mytka were having fun roasting various foods over the campfire. _Drake was the only one that didn't seem to realize that you couldn't roast crackers. Or maybe he just liked the burnt taste because he was a fire type, I didn't know._ Karyme was lying next to me on her back. Her head rested on my shoulder with her eyes closed in relaxation. I could see a small smile playing around the edges of her mouth. I was softly rubbing the bulge of her stomach that was the egg._ I noticed that now that she was pregnant, her nipples on her underside could be seen protruding slightly from her fur._

"So, have you thought of any names yet?" I asked Karyme. She sighed.

"No, not really. Have you? What if it's a girl?"

"Well…" I thought for a little bit. "I've always liked the name Lily a lot."

"Lily," Karyme repeated softly. "I like it." Karyme looked up at me and licked my cheek. I smiled.

"Okay, then you pick the boy name." Karyme pondered this for nearly a whole minute. Her face was scrutinized in concentration. I noticed she tensed up slightly. Her eyes darted back up to mine.

"Would it be all right, if it was a boy, could he be named… Kain?" _Kain. I did like that name. And this would probably be special for Karyme. I liked it._ "We can name him something else if you're not okay with it." I smiled down at Karyme.

"No, I love it Karyme." She smiled back up at me.

"I hope if it does turn out to be a boy, he'll be just as handsome as you were when you were a Houndoom."

"And if it's a girl, I hope her to be just as beautiful as you are." Karyme softly kissed me.

"I think I had better turn in for the night." _Ever since Karyme found out she was pregnant, she had been extremely exhausted and had been going to bed earlier as a result. I also advised her to change her diet to help with the pup's health. Now, she wouldn't touch anything cooked. I told her that most cooked foods lacked nutrients. She had been eating berries and raw meat for the past three weeks._

"Okay, good night Karyme. Call me if you need me."

"I will." Karyme nuzzled me and walked off into the open flap of the tent. I watched her until the tip of her tail disappeared from view. I moved over to the fire and sat down next to Drake.

"Hey, nice of you to join the party," Drake said.

"Yeah, it looked like I was missing out on the extreme fun going on over here," I said sarcastically, grabbing a poker and spearing a mini-hotdog on the end of it. Drake withdrew his from the fire and revealed something that was burnt beyond recognition. He blew out the small flame on it and held it out to me.

"Cracker?" (…Cracka please! LOL, please excuse my extreme corniness, I couldn't resist! XD) My eyes flitted back and forth from the "cracker" to Drake's face. I gave him the "are-you-serious" look.

"Umm… no… no thanks. I have a… hot dog," I replied slowly, lifting up my poker to show him the hot dog stuck on the end.

"Suit yourself. This one was perfectly cooked too." Drake pinched the cracker in between two of his claws and lifted it off of the hot metal. He popped it into his mouth. "Mmm, that's the stuff."

"Mytka, can you please go get some more wood for the fire?" Luna asked Mytka.

"Sure mommy!" Mytka said jumping up.

"Shh, just try to be quiet. Aunt Karyme is sleeping."

"Okay," Mytka whispered, tiptoeing off towards the pile of wood next to the tent.

"So how long has Karyme been pregnant now?" Luna asked from across the fire.

"About three weeks. She's nearly due." Luna nodded.

"That was how long I was pregnant with our little Mytka." A thought came to me.

"Hey Luna?"

"Yes Alex?"

"Well since you have already had an egg, would you be able to help me out with Karyme when the time comes?"

"Of course Alex. You know I'd be glad to help out in any way."

"I want to help too!" I heard Mytka say behind me. She was dragging a large piece of wood back to the campfire. I chuckled. _Mytka always loved to help with anything she could. She probably didn't even realize what we were talking about._

"We'll find something for you to do Mytka," I said.

The rest of the night, we just sat back and relaxed, watching the stars come out one by one. Drake eventually put Mytka to bed and decided to go to bed himself. Luna and I sat out late around the fire and just talked.

"So where do we head from here after things settle down again?" Luna asked.

"I don't know really. We'll have to see how things play out first. I kinda really wanted to head to Sunnyshore City."

"Are you going to try for another Gym Badge while you're there?" I shook my head.

"Nah. I really can't anymore, well, for a while at least. I mean you, Drake and Karyme have too much to risk for getting injured. You and Drake have Mytka and Karyme and I will soon have our own pup too. I might try again once they're a little older. They could even join in too if they want."

"Oh Alex, that's very thoughtful of you. Thank you." I smiled at Luna. "So I overheard you and Karyme discussing names this afternoon. Any choices so far?"

"Yeah, we have either Kain or Lily."

"Kain… That's the name of her former mate, right?" I nodded.

"Yup."

"You're okay with the name choice then?"

"Yeah, I have no problem with the name. I like the name and it seemed special to Karyme too."

"Well, I love both of those names and I hope he or she grows up into a strong healthy pup. I know Mytka will love having another her age to play with." I laughed.

"Yeah, she'll definitely be ecstatic." Luna and I gazed up at the stars for another few minutes. "Well, it's late for me, I'm going to head off to bed."

"Hang on, I'll come with you," Luna said standing up. I stamped on the fire until it was out and then poured the pail of water I set aside over it just to make sure. Luna and I made our way back to the tent. I crawled over to Karyme and draped an arm over her body as I lay down next to her. _Tonight, sleep came quick for me…_

…That night… I had a dream… Yes, you heard me correctly… It was a dream… Not a nightmare… This time… I was a Houndoom… Once again… I ran… Across a grassy plain… With soft rolling hills… As far as I could see… The wind blew gently… It made the grass ripple… Like it was water instead… As if I was gliding across a smooth sea… My paws padded against the soft earth… I ran… For what seemed like forever… I did not tire… I did not care where I was headed… I just ran… Then I heard a whisper… The wind whispered… No… It wasn't the wind… It was someone… I couldn't make out any words… It grew louder… Still nothing… "Who's there?" I asked… It grew even louder… This time I heard it… "Alex" it said… Wait… That was Karyme's voice… "Alex"… It echoed around me… Like I was in an enclosed room… I ran on… Her voice grew louder still… "Alex"… I looked up to the sky… It was bright blue… A few clouds spotted the vast sky… I still ran… And her voice was even louder now… "Alex!"… That time it sounded like… Like she was calling for help… "Alex!"… She needed me… I had to help…

My eyes snapped open in the darkness of the tent. _The first thing that registered in my mind was pain. _I winced. _It shot through my brain._ I heard someone breathing heavily beside me. I looked sideways and saw that it was Karyme. She was rolled over on her side, facing me. Her eyes were squinted shut and her teeth gritted.

"Alex!" she yelled. I scrambled out of my sleeping bag and knelt down next to her.

"Karyme. I'm here, I'm here," I said placing my hand gently on her cheek. "What's wrong?" She groaned in pain.

"It's coming!"

"What? What's coming Karyme?" Karyme whimpered.

"It hurts…" _Then it hit me._

"Oh! The egg!" Karyme's eyes were still squinted and her teeth gritted from the pain. She nodded twice. Karyme groaned and exhaled in pain again, rolling over onto her back. "Luna," I said turning around. "Luna!" I saw Luna's silhouette bolt up in the darkness. She was over to Karyme in a second with the help of her Extreme Speed. She placed a paw against Karyme's forehead.

"Shhh Karyme, it's going to be all right. We're both here, Alex and I." She turned around looking over at Drake. I looked too and saw that he and Mytka were both awake too. Drake was sitting up on an elbow, with Mytka held securely in his arms. I looked closer and thought I saw a few tears trickling down Mytka's cheeks. _She was probably so scared, she didn't know what was going on._

"Mommy? What's happening? What's wrong with Aunt Karyme?" Mytka asked. _ She sounded devastated_. Luna looked at Drake again.

"Drake. Take Mytka outside," Luna said turning back around to Karyme.

"Of course," Drake said. "Come on Mytka. He stood up with Mytka already in his arms and exited the tent. My head throbbed again as Karyme groaned from the pain._ I saw the bump on her underside was a bit further down now. It really was happening._

"You're doing good Karyme. Come on, deep breaths," Luna said soothingly. Karyme nodded and tried to even her breathing. Karyme twisted in pain again, crying out. I winced with her. She arched her head back and groaned deeply. I grabbed Karyme's paw in my hand and held it tight.

"Karyme," I said. "Karyme. Look at me." Karyme turned her head to look at me. Her face was tearstained. "I'm here. Just keep looking at me. Everything's going to be okay," I said squeezing her paw gently. She gave me a weak smile in return.

"I feel safe with you here beside me," she said meekly.

"I can see the egg," Luna said. I saw that she had positioned herself at Karyme's rear. "We could get it out now, but I can't grab it with my paws."

"I could get it out," I said, making to stand up.

"No! Alex, I want you here," Karyme said pulling me back down. I kneeled back down beside her.

"Okay, but you'll have to push Karyme," Luna said. Karyme nodded.

"It's all right, I'll be fine." She turned her head and looked back up at me. She smiled again. Karyme pushed, breathing heavily. She cried out every now and then from particularly painful contractions and I tried not to cry out with her as the pain tore through me. Her paw was shaking and I could feel her nails digging into the back of my hand.

"Come on Karyme! Push! You're nearly there!" Luna said.

"Just a bit more Karyme," I assured her. Her nails were cutting into my flesh and I could see some blood trailing down my wrist._ It hurt, but I didn't dare let go. My pain was nothing compared to Karyme's pain right now. Not even if you combined all the pain I had experienced tonight together._ Karyme cried out loudly and I saw the egg emerge from her. _I felt a little dizzy with trying to keep my cries contained._ I felt Karyme fall limp, panting extremely hard. I gave her a small kiss on her muzzle.

"You did great Karyme," I said softly.

"Alex, would you happen to have a towel? I need to clean off the egg," Luna said. I looked over to her and saw that she was holding it. The egg was the usual white, but it had a couple of orange and black swirls dotting it.

"Yeah, hold on." I reached over and grabbed my backpack, pulling out the first towel I saw and tossing it to Luna. She began cleaning off the blood and other fluids off of the egg and once it was clean, she handed it to Karyme. Karyme held it next to her with her paws. Luna stood up, smiling once more at Karyme and exited the tent.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked Karyme.

"It's perfect. And it hasn't even hatched yet!" Karyme winced in pain again and I felt my head give a weak throb. "It still does hurt a little bit though." I looked down to where she was talking about.

"You know they taught me in Trainer's School about how some trainers would massage their pokemon after they would lay an egg to make them feel better. Would you like a massage? (I know it sounds weird, but some nurses actually do massage women who had just given birth to relax the muscles stretched during contractions.)

"That would be great Alex," Karyme said smiling. I crawled over to Karyme's rear and looked at the gaping hole where the egg had just emerged._ I'm going to need another towel._ I grabbed another one from my backpack. Karyme winced again as I dabbed some of the blood and other fluids off of her.

"Sorry, I'm trying to be careful," I said apologetically.

"It's all right. It's not your fault Alex. I'm just a little sensitive around there right now." Once she was clean I started massaging far from her opening and slowly worked my way in. Karyme sighed and laid her head back down. _It was working, she was relaxing._ I continued massaging her until she was back to normal and the gaping hole was gone.

"At that moment, Luna and Drake came back into the tent, with Drake still holding Mytka in his arms. Mytka was covering her ears with her paws and had her head turned into Drake's chest, with her eyes shut tightly. Luna sat down on Karyme's other side, Drake sitting down next to her. He put down Mytka in front of him. I saw Mytka open up an eye carefully. Once she saw Karyme lying there smiling, she opened up her other eye and uncovered her ears.

"Aunt Karyme!" Mytka said, running over and giving her a hug. "Are you okay? It sounded horrible!"

"I'm perfectly fine Mytka. And look what we've got now!" Karyme said, handing over the egg to Mytka. The egg was just a little bit smaller than Mytka. She could barely wrap her paws all the way around it. Mytka looked amazed.

"It's so warm!" She rested her head against it and closed her eyes for a moment. _It looked like she was in deep concentration._ She picked her head back up and glanced over to Karyme and me.

"I think it's a boy," Mytka said, handing the egg back to Karyme.

"Well, we aren't sure of that yet," Karyme said taking the egg back from Mytka.

"I know, I just have this feeling it's going to be a boy." I yawned and glanced at my Pokenav lying next to my sleeping bag._ 3:02. _It was really early in the morning.

"So how about we all get back to sleep now?"

"That sounds good," Drake said.

"Yes, well, congratulations Karyme. We're all really glad for you," Luna said, patting Karyme on the shoulder lightly with her paw.

"Yeah, congratulations Karyme," Drake replied.

"Thanks everybody," Karyme said smiling. With that, everyone crawled back to their respective beds.

"Karyme, if you need anything, I'm right here. Just wake me up okay?" Karyme snuggled up close to me.

"Thank you Alex. You're the best," she said licking my chin. I laid my head down on my pillow and looked up at the canopy of the tent. _Well, we were one more step closer to our pup now. It shouldn't be long before the egg hatches. You know, going into this I wasn't so sure it was going to work out. It seemed like ages ago since Karyme and I were sitting by that fire and first told me of her plan for pups. Now, I was probably as excited as Karyme, if not more. _I smiled as I closed my eyes._ Soon we'll have our pup. I'll be a father, Karyme will be a mother. We'll be a family…_

_It was morning a few days after Karyme had laid her egg. The date was April 14__th__ to be exact. Karyme had spent nearly every moment with the egg ever since that one night. She wanted to be there for when it hatched. I got impatient every time I saw the egg. I really wanted it to hatch too._

A single ray of sun filtered in through a small crack in the tent's flap, laying right across my face. I squinted and blocked the sun with my hand as I rolled over onto my side._ A couple more hours of sleep would be nice._ I heard a small shuffling noise near me. I didn't open my eyes. _It was probably just someone rolling over in there sleep too, or perhaps Mytka waking up already._ I then heard a couple of paws padding over to me. _That sounded like Mytka. She's such an early bird._ Something started sniffing at my nose and then licked my face a few times._ Well, that wouldn't be Mytka. It was probably Karyme._

"Karyme," I groaned sleepily. "Iz too early, kay?" I said groggily. She licked my face a few more times then stopped._ Okay, now I can actually sleep._ Then something with tiny paws jumped on my face. _Okay, those paws were way too tiny to be Karyme's or even Mytka's._ I opened my eyes. My attacker was still on my face and all I saw was a load of black fur on its underside. I moved my head and it jumped off, realizing I was awake. I looked carefully at it. Its fur was black all over its body. It stood on four paws and it sort of looked like its skeleton was protruding on its back. The "bones" were a silver color, along with an oddly shaped skull on the top of its head. Its muzzle was a red-orange color and its eyes were green. _They were the same exact green as mine._ It was a Houndour._ Wait a minute, a Houndour…_ I looked over to Karyme, lying asleep on her side. _Next to her was… two halves of a whole egg. The egg hatched! But then that Houndour must be…_

"Our pup," I said smiling. I reached my arms out to pick it up, but it ran straight through them and licked my face. I laughed. _Our pup. It was our pup!_ I hugged it close to my chest, remembering to be careful not to squeeze too hard. I gave it a small kiss on its forehead and set it back down again. I looked over to Karyme and saw that she had her head up, looking over at me.

"So do you like him?" Karyme asked.

"Him?" Upon hearing his mother's voice, the little Houndour bounded over to Karyme and licked her face too.

"Yes him. He's a boy Alex," Karyme said smiling. She nuzzled him and licked him a few times. Then she pushed him with her muzzle toward her underside, where he located one of her nipples and started suckling.

"So we shall name him Kain then," I said. Karyme looked at me, still smiling. I looked around the tent at the others. Luna was sound asleep beside Drake, who reached up and scratched his neck with his claws. Mytka was curled up in a ball next to Luna. She twitched slightly in her sleep, rolling over. She stretched, yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes with her paws. Mytka looked over to Karyme and me. Her eyes widened and she stood up slowly as she saw Kain. Her eyes darted from Kain, to mine, to Karyme's and then back to Kain again.

"The egg hatched?" she asked excitedly. Kain heard Mytka's voice and turned around, sniffing at the air.

"Yes, it hatched last night," Karyme responded. Kain caught sight of Mytka and leapt up, running over to her. Kain attacked her face with licks. Mytka laughed. She tried to pick him up under his forelegs, but he was too heavy for her and they both toppled over backwards. Kain took advantage of the situation to lick Mytka's face some more. Karyme and I both cracked up.

"Well, they made friends fast," Karyme said.

"Yeah, they sure did," I replied. You know, Mytka doesn't seem so small anymore compared with Kain."

"That or she's growing up too fast." Drake and Luna finally began to stir. _Well, Luna at least. Drake merely rolled over and kept on snoring._ Luna sat up and stretched exactly as Mytka had. Kain and Mytka were still on the ground, Mytka trying to get out from under Kain and Kain trying to lick every inch of Mytka's face as he could. Luna looked at the wrestling pups and her face instantly lit up.

"Oh my goodness! Look at the little one!" Kain looked up again, hearing Luna's voice this time. He bounded over to her and jumped up and placed his forepaws on her leg, looking up expectantly at her. Mytka sat up and wiped some of the slobber off of her face.

"Yech," she said.

"Oh Drake. Drake!" Luna said, poking Drake hard in the stomach to wake him up. Drake grunted in his sleep and mumbled something inaudible , turning his head the other way. "Come on Drake, wake up!" Luna said, tapping him on the shoulder. Drake rolled over onto his back.

"Whazuhmatter," he mumbled sleepily. Luna picked up Kain. _She had more success than Mytka in doing it._ Kain furiously sniffed at her ears and licked them. Luna laughed.

"Oh, he's so cute!" Mytka set Kain down on Drake. Kain sniffed at Drake's face and Drake's eyes snapped open.

"Woah, who's this little fella?" Drake looked over at Karyme and me. He spotted the broken egg next to Karyme. "Hatched already did it?" Drake picked Kain up too who had his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. "Awww, he is sort of cute, isn't he?" Drake put him back down and Kain ran over to his mother. "So what's his name then?"

"We've decided to call him Kain," I said.

As the sun rose some more, we eventually got up and decided to make some breakfast. _Kain obviously didn't need anything. He was still surviving off of Karyme's milk_. Karyme was lying close to the fire as Kain suckled. _Houndoom usually lit fires in their dens to keep their young warm. Karyme tried to explain it to me. Houndoom and Houndour have this sort of "internal fire" and keeping their young warm as they grow promotes growth and strengthens their fire attack power._

Everyone was finishing up their breakfast. Karyme had a couple of berries in front of her and was chewing them up slowly. Mytka was watching Kain with deep interest. _I was surprised she wasn't sweltering from how close Karyme was to the fire._

"So what's up on the agenda for today Alex?" Drake asked.

"Well, I'm going to head up to the market at the resort and see if I can pick up some more supplies. I was wondering if you and Luna could find some berries for us?"

"We'd be glad to," Luna responded.

"Better than sitting around doing nothing," Drake said getting up.

"I can stay here with Aunt Karyme!" Mytka said.

"Good thinking Mytka," Luna said. "Help Aunt Karyme out with anything she needs, okay?"

"Okay mommy!"

"Will you be okay here by yourself?" I asked Karyme.

"I'll be fine Alex. Besides, I'll have big strong Mytka here to protect me from bad pokemon!" Mytka grinned and hugged Karyme around her neck. Karyme nuzzled her. Kain looked up to see what all of the commotion was about. He looked at me and cocked his head to the side as if asking a question. I smiled and reached down, scratching him briefly on the back of his neck before I grabbed my backpack.

"We'll be back soon," Drake called out. He spread his wings with Luna on his back and they took off into the sky.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," I said to Karyme. "Mytka, keep an eye on her for me."

"Okay! I will Uncle Alex." Kain tried to follow me as I started to walk away. I smiled picking him up.

"No, no. You can't come with me today." I walked with him back to Karyme. "Maybe a little later once you're older." I set him down and Karyme wrapped her forepaws around him. Kain pined at me. "Don't worry, I'll be back." I waved to the three of them as I made my way back up the winding path through the small forest. It would take me right to a small villa outside of the resort where the various shops were located.

It was nearly midday so the streets were crowded with shoppers. I wove my way through the crowd, glancing left and right at the various shops and people milling about. There was a shop for nearly anything you needed, from antiques and souvenirs, foods and beverages, to accessories and regional merchandise. Some of the shoppers were unique too. I saw a couple of chefs at the vegetable stands, closely examining the produce. There were a couple of pokemon walking around with small pouches of money and shopping bags, with lists of things they needed to get in their hands, or for the quadrupeds, their mouths._ Their trainers probably sent them on errands._

Eventually, I found the store I was looking for. It had everything you needed for when you were traveling or just going camping. I bought many items that I needed new ones of and some items I didn't have before, but needed just in case. I got new hiking boots, a small cooking stand to put over the fire, another hunting knife in case I lost or broke my first one, some more blankets, I stocked up on my first aid equipment, I got a small compass, and finally a brand new tent. _The one I had now was wearing out and was a bit too small, not to mention it took too long to put up. We've been caught in the rain a fair few times trying to set up the tent._ I paid for my items and left the shop.

I started to make my way back up the crowded street. As I was walking, something glittery off to the right caught my eye. I looked over to it. It was a small jewelry stand. I carefully made my way over to it. I looked down into the small glass case and saw an assortment of gold, silver and crystal jewelry. The one that had caught my eye was a small choker necklace with a tiny crystal Mew dangling off of it._ This would be perfect for Mytka. On a normal human it would be pretty tight around their neck, but it would be perfect size for Mytka._ I checked the price. _1,500 Poke. _(That isn't a lot actually. It's 250 Poke for one fucking potion!) _That wasn't too bad. I still had enough left over to get something for everyone actually._ For Luna I got her a single gold earring._ I thought she'd look pretty cool with it._ I got Drake a leather wristband with an image of the "five star" Fire Blast attack on it. _I thought he'd think jewelry would be too girly for him._ I looked at every item for something for Karyme, but it was extremely difficult. _I wanted to get her the perfect thing._ Then I found exactly what I was looking for. It was a small band of silver. It was formed into an exotic shape, made out of pure silver. On the bottom, something small was etched into the metal. _To my love._ _This would be a perfect gift for Karyme. It was exactly what I was looking for._

"Beautiful isn't it?" a voice said behind me. I turned around to see who had said that. Before me stood a teenage boy. His most notable feature was his hair. Pitch black with streaks of red running down over the top of his head. He was wearing all black, with long pants and a long sleeved shirt. He wore a gray cloak even though the hot midday sun was beating down on him. His orange eyes stared me down.

"Yeah, it is," I replied a bit warily. _Who was this guy?_

"May I be so bold as to ask who you will be buying it for?" Our eyes locked as I debated whether to tell the stranger or not.

"My pokemon, Karyme."

"Karyme," he repeated. "Lovely name. May I ask yours?"

"Alex, how about you?"

"Tails Andromeda Blackheart, or just Andromeda."

"Great to meet you Andromeda."

"The reason I approached you is because I had a question. Are you the Alex that was on the television a while back? The one who escaped from the collapsed Oreburgh Mine?"

"Yeah, that was me."

"I see, I see." A tall figure came up behind Andromeda.

"Andromeda, I've got the food." I took a closer look at the creature and saw that it was a Lopunny. Except this one was way taller than a normal Lopunny. It also had a few human characteristics to it. It had long slender legs and arms that were completely covered by fur and ended in toes and fingers. It had breasts also, like a normal human woman, but they were covered up by the fur Lopunnies usually have on their chest.

"Yes, thank you Zala," Andromeda said, turning his head around, addressing her. The Lopunny looked past Andromeda at me.

"Oh, and who might this be?" she asked.

"This is Alex. The Alex from the famous Oreburgh mine collapse." I felt my cheeks grow red. _I didn't really know it was "famous" and I felt kind of bad that the whole thing caved in._

"Nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand to the Lopunny. She grasped it and let go a second later.

"Pleasure," she said simply.

"Well Alex, I hate to leave you hanging, but I must be on my way. Come Zala." With a backward glance he walked off into the crowd, holding his hands behind his back. He didn't bother to move out of the way of the villagers as he walked right down the middle of the street. _I wasn't sure who exactly that was, I've definitely never heard of him before. Strange guy though._

I paid for Karyme's band and made my way back through the forest along the winding path again._ The sun was still pretty high in the sky. _Its rays filtered through the small cracks in the tree canopy as I walked. The air was warm, the breeze was gentle. _It was a great day._ I listened to the Starly, Tailow and Pidgey chirp invisibly in the trees above me._ Maybe later if we had time, we could take another trip to the beach._

The tent finally came into view as I drew closer. I saw Kain and Karyme lying in the soft grass, sleeping. Kain was curled up in between Karyme's forepaws. I smiled. _They both looked so at ease with everything._ Mytka ran out of the tent when she heard my footsteps approaching.

"Uncle Alex, you're back," Mytka whispered.

"Told you I'd be back soon," I whispered back. "Hey I got you a little present." Mytka looked excited to see what I'd gotten her. I pulled the small crystal necklace out of one of the bags I was holding. Mytka's eyes lit up as I draped it around her neck.

"Oh thank you Uncle Alex!"

"Not a problem, not a problem. Just try to be careful with it, it breaks easily."

"I promise. I'll be really really careful." I pulled Mytka into a one-armed hug and she hugged me back._ Her paws barely reached halfway around me._ I let go of her and she sat down on the grass, examining the small crystal Mew on the end of the necklace. I crept over to Karyme, pulling out the small band of silver. I gently lifted up her paw and slid the silver on. It rested perfectly just above her Houndoom bangles on her forepaws. I stood back and looked at it on her paw. _It was perfect._ I yawned suddenly and looked over to Mytka.

"You know, I think Aunt Karyme has the right idea," I told Mytka. She looked up at me. "Would you mind if I took a short nap too?" Mytka shook her head.

"No, that's fine. I'll be okay here," Mytka said from the grass.

"All right. I'll only be one or two hours. If you need me wake me up."

"Okay Uncle Alex. And thanks again for the necklace! It's really pretty." I yawned again, widely this time and scratched the back of my head.

"Don't mention it Mytka. You deserve it." I gave her a warm smile and she returned it.

"Have a nice nap." As I walked into the tent, I thought to myself._ That was the first time to me that Mytka seemed really grown up. She is still a pup and she is fine with acting like one, but she seems to be a little more grown up today. Maybe it was because she had some responsibilities now or something._ I kicked off my boots and crawled into my sleeping bag._ Some people say that that's what responsibility does to you._ I rolled over and pulled the blanket higher over myself._ Well, whatever it was, I was glad for her…_

I woke up in a darkened tent a couple of hours later. _Shit! I overslept! I'd better go check in on everything, I hoped nothing happened._ I sat up and made to slide out of my sleeping bag, but a paw came out of the darkness and pushed me back down. I looked sideways and saw that Karyme was in the sleeping bag with me.

"Karyme, wha? Is everything okay? I overslept! I was only supposed to be asleep for-." Karyme rubbed my chest with her paw, calming me down.

"Shh, shh. Everything's fine Alex," Karyme said as she pushed her paw slowly through my hair.

"Oh, okay good." I said relaxing a bit. "Where's Kain?"

"He's with Drake and Luna. I asked if they could watch him for about an hour so I could thank you for the lovely bracelet you got for me."

"I was hoping you'd like it.

"I love it," Karyme said, gazing into my eyes.

"But why do you need a whole hour to-." I caught a look of mischief in Karyme's eyes. I smiled. "Oh, I see what you're getting at." Karyme giggled. I pulled the blankets over both of us…

**End Notes:** Heh, sorry, no lemon this time. Again, I'm sorry for the major delay, but this chapter is way longer than normal. At least 1,700 words longer than usual. Tails Andromeda Blackheart and Zala belong to revan blackheart. Hope I got their characters right! So how do you guys like Kain, eh? I tried to make him cute and "puppyish". I also claim ownership of him, so no stealing the cute little puppy XD. Oh yeah, and I'm sorry too about the major time frame skips in this chapter. I think the total time skipped was like a whole month actually! But, I've just realized how close I am to the end of part 2 and wow, it creeped up on me. Next chapters should be back to normal. No time skipping, except for in between chapters. So as always, review, review, review! Gotta love those reviews, I respond to each and every one of them! Also as a small side note, it might be a little while until the next chapter is released because I don't go back to work until the 15th of June, but I'll try my best to get some writing in before then. After that, I'll update much more regularly because of summer!I'll see you all next update then!


	18. Turning To Turmoil

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

Chapter 18: **Turning To Turmoil**

**Author Notes: **Hey everyone! Wondering why I'm back so soon? Well, I've got a special treat for you to make up for that 2 month long delay between chapter 16 and 17. Really sorry about that, but I go back to work on Monday so I'll definitely have more time to work on it then. Anyways, I'm going to try something totally different this chapter. Ever since chapter 8 or 9, I've planned Kain to be one of the main characters of this story. So this chapter, since he's grown up considerably, I'm going to be switching back and forth between Alex's and Kain's viewpoints. The switch will be marked with this symbol: . Tell me what you think about this different view on the story by reviewing after you've read! As always, I own Alex, Karyme, Jade, Malak, Drake, Luna, Mytka and now Kain too! Enjoy the chapter!

**Recap:** Alex has a nightmare then a dream, Karyme lays her egg, Kain hatches, Alex goes to the marketplace and meets Andromeda, Alex buys them all gifts.

_Over the next couple of weeks, Kain continued to grow. He didn't need to rely on Karyme anymore for food. He was eating what the rest of us were eating now. He had also started speaking. He was very ambitious and curious about things. This made him likely to wander off on his own. Drake and Luna had spoken to Mytka about this. Mytka was in charge of keeping an eye on Kain while they were off playing or while we were too busy with other things. Mytka took to the new responsibility with great enthusiasm. During the day the two were usually off exploring the nearby forest. Karyme was a bit uneasy about them going off on their own. It was probably because of her two other pups being killed by Malak when they were off in the forest. She didn't want to have a repeat of that with Kain. I assured her that they would be fine and nothing bad was going to happen. She of course took my assurance, but was still worried._

_Today was another normal day for us. Mytka and Kain were off playing in the forest. It was morning and Karyme, Drake, Luna and I were lying around, planning the day and just talking. Luna had lunch started and it was cooking over the fire. Soon Mytka and Kain would smell it and know that it was time to come back and eat. The two of them had said that they had found a friend that lived out in the forest close to us. Apparently it was a pup a little bit older than Kain and a little bit younger than Mytka. He had run away from his home, but because why he wouldn't say. We had asked Mytka and Kain to tell the pup to come to us if he ever needed food or shelter, but we still haven't seen him at all yet. He seemed to be a little shy around humans according to Mytka. Anyways, Luna had announced that lunch was ready…_

_Mytka was running ahead of me. We were playing hide and seek with a little twist on it. Once the person who was it found someone, they had to chase them down and tag them. Mytka and I were the ones hiding right now. In a few seconds we had to be hidden or risk making too much noise. _Mytka turned left and ran off into some dense bushes. I decided to go right and leapt off into a clump of bushes situated around a large tree. I pressed myself up against the large trunk of the tree, crouching down as low as I could get to the ground. _He'd have a hard time finding me in this good of cover._ I swiveled my ears around and sniffed at the air for any sign of him. _My mom said that being alert and aware of everything surrounding you helps you become a better hunter. If that was true, then my dad must have an amazing hearing and sense of smell, because he always had food for us no matter what! But right now I think I should be concentrating on not being detected._ I sat there, waiting for the sound of approaching footsteps. I tried to tune out all other distractions. The Starly chirping, the leaves rustling, the sun's ray flickering through the leaves of the bushes. I sat there for what felt like forever until I heard something. Four paws were softly padding against the packed dirt of the forest floor. _They were drawing closer._ I peeked out through a small opening in the low hanging branched of the brush. A small canine pokemon skidded to a halt and started sniffing at the trail. He was mostly covered by gray fur, with small patches of dark gray fur around his paws and muzzle. He had scars covering his body from when his father used to beat him up for being weak. It was a Poochyena and my best friend Black Fang.

He looked up and his ears swiveled around on his head as if he was listening for something. He turned his head towards my hiding place and slowly and cautiously made his way closer to where I was hidden. I tried to slow my breathing as best I could. He peered into the bushes where I was hiding.

"Kain? Is that you?" he asked. There was no way he could see me, I was too well hidden in the shadows. But the longer he peered in, the more uneasy I got._ Maybe I should make a run for it._ I slowly stood up and got ready to spring. "Come on Kain, I know it's you." I laughed and sprang out of the bushes right over his head. He jumped backwards and tripped over his feet from fright. I landed on my four paws and bolted. The bushes and trees flashed by on either side of me and I tore through the forest. I heard Black Fang scramble to his feet and begin to pursue me. I looked back at him as I ran. He was dodging trees and leaping over obstructions, his face totally calm and concentrated on me. I turned forward and came face to face with a couple of low hanging brush. It was too late to do anything to avoid it. The small twigs and leaves scratched against my face and I was forced to shut my eyes. I fell to the ground face first and skidded to a halt. I heard Black Fang come up behind me.

"Woah, that was a nasty fall Kain. You okay?" I rolled over onto my side.

"Yeah," I said gruffly.

"Well then," he placed his paw on my shoulder. "Got you." I sighed.

"Geez, you sure don't get distracted by anything, do you Black Fang?"

"Sure, sure, but you're still caught."

"Does this mean I win again?" Mytka asked coming into sight.

"You sure do Mytka," Black Fang said. I spit out some dirt that was in my mouth and stood up. Mytka gasped and covered her mouth with one of her paws.

"Kain! What happened to your face?!" I laughed.

"Don't worry it's only a little bit of dirt. I tripped when Black Fang was-."

"No Kain, you're bleeding!" Mytka walked up to me and bent down to look at my face. I wiped my face with the back of my paw and brought it up to my level to look at it. _Blood, she was right._ As I stared at the fur on my paw stained red, I realized that my face actually did hurt._ It started stinging really bad._

"Ouch," I said. It throbbed again and I whimpered. "Ow ow ow ow." Mytka put her arm around me and helped me up on my feet.

"Its okay, it's okay," she said soothingly. "We'll go down to the stream on the way back and get that cleaned up. Come on Kain." I stood up fully and Mytka steered me around to the right direction back.

"I'm going to head back to my cave then," Black Fang said. "I hope you feel better Kain." I turned around to say thanks, but he had already run off. We walked to the stream, but with every footstep, the pain seemed to intensify. I whimpered again.

"It's all right Kain," Mytka said, squeezing my shoulders gently. "We're nearly there now." The stream came into view and we walked down the sloped bank to the water's edge. I sat down and Mytka crouched down in front of me. She dipped her paw in the water to wet it and begun wiping the blood off of my face, her other paw on my shoulder, holding me steady. I whimpered again as she brushed my wounds. "Shh, shh, it's all right Kain." She kept dipping her paw into the water and wiping away more blood from my face. I watched as some of it trickled down stream with the flow of the water. "When we get back your dad can give you a potion to completely heal you up." She leaned her head down in front of me and looked my face over to see if she missed any spots. She smiled. "There, you're all cleaned up." I looked up at her, my face still sporting a frown. "Come on now, let's see a smile." I grinned weakly. "Oh, you can do better than that!" My face broke into a smile. "There you go."

"Thanks Mytka, you're a good friend."

"Awww, it's no problem." She wrapped her paws around me and pulled me into a hug. I licked her face. She laughed and kissed me on the forehead. "You know what I smell?" Mytka asked. I sniffed at the air.

"Lunch!" I exclaimed.

"Yup! Come on, let's get back." We headed back up the bank, but before we could start off into the forest, we heard a horrible hissing noise. _It sounded like it came from every side._

"M-Mytka? What was that?" I asked, pressing myself closer against her. She put a paw around me and held me there.

"I don't know Kain. Let's keep moving." We had barely taken two steps before we heard the hissing again and two dark shapes crossed right into our path. The two of them slithered slowly across the ground towards us. They were both jet black with yellow patterns on their head and back. Their tails were a deep red color and they both had purple around their mouths. Their fangs were glistening with their venom, as their bright orange eyes froze us in place. _Sevipers._

"Well, Cyrussss, lookssss like we've found our lunch." One of them said to the other.

"Or more like our lunch hassss found ussss." They both cackled, still slowly slithering towards us. Mytka took a tentative step backwards. I felt myself start to shake. And I whimpered involuntary. The one on the left named Cyrus tilted his head back and laughed, I got a good look at exactly how long his fangs were.

"Look at thissss little one here. He lookssss sssso… tassssty." Mytka stepped in front of me and growled.

"I want the girl brother," the other Seviper said. "Sssshe lookssss like sssshe's got ssssome fight in her."

"Run Kain!" Mytka screamed, pushing me backwards. I turned and jumped into the bushes. I felt Cyrus lunge past me and miss. I emerged on the other side of the bushes, skimming over the landscape for somewhere to hide. Just to the left of me was a small hole in the ground that was barely visible. I dove into it without a second though. I ran into something very furry and nearly jumped back out again. My eyes were great in the dark though, being a Houndour and I saw that it was just a mother Furret and her children Sentret.

"What's wrong little one? You look like you've seen a Gastly!"

"A Seviper's after me!" I said. Her eyes widened.

"Come, come here," she said beckoning me over quickly. She pressed me and her young up against the back wall of the small den and placed herself in front of us. She hushed her children to be quiet, which they instantly did. I watched as the Seviper's towering form slid past the entrance. _He probably wasn't able to see it with him being so tall._

"He'ssss gone brother!" Cyrus called out to the other Seviper. I heard the other Seviper faintly call back.

"Forget that one! Help me fight the girl!"

"Mytka…," I whispered. I squeezed out from behind the Furret and made my way to the mouth of the den. The Furret jumped in front of me, blocking my exit.

"No! Don't do it! You'll be killed for sure!" I looked over the Furret at Mytka._ She looked so small with the two Sevipers towering over her. I felt guilty now for running and leaving Mytka to fight the two Sevipers now. _I couldn't get past the Furret and even if I could, I didn't know how to fight. I watched as one of the Sevipers struck at Mytka. She swiftly dodged it and it went crashing into the ground. She used a Karate Chop right on the top of it's head, but the Seviper was so big and Mytka was so small, it barely did any damage at all. The other Seviper took advantage of her distraction and lunged at her from behind. Mytka dodged at the last second and landed a strong kick to the side of the head as the Seviper soared by. Mytka jumped on top of the downed Seviper and hit it with a Karate Chop and Force Palm. I almost shouted out to her as I watched the Seviper's tail come up from behind her and smash into her, sending her flying off of him. Mytka hit the ground hard and cried out in pain. The Seviper slithered up to Mytka and towered tall over her. It brought its tail back up again, but this time its tail started glowing a light purple color.

"Thissss one will hurt a lot more, I promisssse you," the Seviper said angrily, its eyes slightly bulging from his head. The Seviper twirled its tail around behind its head, about to swish it down at Mytka._ I couldn't stand here and watch this happen anymore._ I pushed roughly past the Furret and ran out of the small den. She made an attempt to grab me, but I slipped out.

"Mytka!" I yelled running back through the bushes. The Sevipers turned their heads towards me.

"Sssso, come back for more?" Cyrus said, eyeing me hungrily.

"Kain! Get out of here!" Mytka yelled from the ground. Just then I heard a loud snarl rip through the forest and a large white pokemon jump out of the brush behind the Sevipers and it sank its teeth into the neck of the Seviper closest to Mytka. They both fell to the ground, the Seviper thrashing around, hissing angrily. _I recognized the pokemon as an Absol. This one was different though, it had scars along the side of its body and the horn on the top of his head was partially broken off, leaving a jagged and serrated edge._ The second Seviper bared its fangs, its lethal poison spitting from them. Its tail started to glow light purple just like the first one, but unfortunately the Absol had its back turned to it. I heard an earth shaking growl come from the bushes behind me and an Arcanine burst out of them, fangs bared. I watched as it leapt cleanly over me and charged for the second Seviper. Before the second Seviper could even react to the new foe, it was in the Arcanine's teeth. Her jaws were so powerful, she broke the Seviper's spine in one crunch and cut him into two pieces with the second one. The Absol swung back its head, one paw still on the Seviper and the broken blade on the top of his head glowed white. He swung the blade down and it cut right through the Seviper, severing his head from his body. I ran over to Mytka and nuzzled her, tears streaming from my eyes.

"I'm sorry Mytka, I should've stayed with you." Mytka pulled me into a hug.

"No Kain, I told you to run and you did as I said. You have nothing to be sorry for." The Absol looked up at us.

"Are you pups all right?" he asked. _His voice was very smooth and calming._

"Yeah," Mytka said. "Thank you for saving us."

"I couldn't sit by and let them kill you," he said. I shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Diablo." The Arcanine walked up behind each other. She smiled.

"And my name's Sugar," she said_. For a pokemon that just ripped right through a Seviper, with blood still dripping from her muzzle, she had a really sweet voice._ "Diablo and I travel together." She rubbed her head up against his and licked at his muzzle. Diablo didn't look to happy.

"So it would seem, but it's more of Sugar following me around wherever I go." Sugar laughed.

"It's nice to meet you both," Mytka said. I was still too scared for formal introductions, so I just gave them both nods. I watched as Diablo talked to Mytka some more. Sugar kept giving Diablo these looks. _I was guessing she really liked Diablo, but Diablo didn't seem to look too interested in her._ After a while we said goodbye and they both went on their way, Diablo taking off and Sugar bounding after him. Mytka and I continued on home.

"I hope our parents aren't too worried about us," Mytka said.

"I just hope there's still lunch left," I said grinning slightly for the first time since we left the stream…

"When do you think they'll be back?" Karyme asked for the third time.

"Don't worry Karyme, they'll be back. They're probably on their way right now."

"Okay… Okay good." _Karyme's been so uptight lately. I know it's because she's scared about Kain being off in the woods by himself. We tried to explain to her that everything would be fine. She wouldn't listen to reason though. They were pups though and they need to explore._ About five minutes later, they came running out of the forest towards us. I smiled. Karyme suddenly gasped and I spun around quickly to look at her. She was looking at Kain and Mytka.

"Kain! You're hurt!" she exclaimed. I looked closer at Kain and saw that he was indeed hurt. Karyme ran over to him and started licking at his wounds. I grabbed a potion out of my backpack and walked over to where he was too.

"Awww, mom. It isn't that bad," Kain said. _I had to agree with Kain. Karyme was overreacting a little bit, but that was perfectly fine for a mother. Kain didn't look all that bad._

"And you too Mytka," Luna said. "You're all covered in dirt." Luna brushed some of the dirt off of Mytka's back. Mytka flinched from the touch of her mother's paw. "What's wrong honey? Are you all right Mytka?"

"On no, I'm fine mommy. Kain and I were just playing tag and I accidently tripped up Kain and we both fell." As Luna and Mytka were talking, I told Kain to close his eyes and I sprayed some potion on him.

"Okay, accidents happen, but being careful helps prevent accidents."

"Don't worry mommy. I promise we'll be extra careful next time." After I was done with Kain, I ruffled his ears. He laughed and nipped at my hand playfully. Before we sat down to eat, I healed up Mytka too. We all ate our lunch, laughing when Drake found out there wouldn't be any seconds today. After we were all done, Mytka turned to Luna.

"Mommy?" she asked.

"Yes Mytka?"

"Mommy, can I learn how to fight?" Luna looked a bit taken aback from the question. "Well if you really want to, I don't see why you can't"

"Can we learn right now?" Mytka asked, looking up at her mother.

"We sure can." Mytka jumped up excitedly. Luna stood up and took her by the hand. They walked off into the forest heading towards the beach.

"Now this I gotta see," Drake said standing up. "I'll be back in a little bit." He spread his wings and took off into the sky in the same direction Luna and Mytka headed in

"Well then who am I supposed to play with?" Kain asked. He was sitting in Karyme's forepaws as she lay on the grass.

"You and daddy can go hiking for the afternoon," Karyme said. Kain's face lit up.

"Can we daddy? Please?" _Now I just couldn't ignore those puppy eyes._

"Course we can. Come let's go." Kain jumped up and Karyme licked the top of his head.

"Remember to be careful okay?"

"You're not going to come with us?" I asked Karyme.

"No, I'm going to stay here, but you two have fun."

"I promise we won't be too long." I gave her a soft kiss and waved as we set off north. _Just over this large hill was Lake Valor. It had an amazing view and the hike was definitely worth it._ Kain was running back and forth across the path, looking excitedly at all the things we passed. I strolled casually with my hands in my pockets, watching him play and making sure he didn't run too far ahead of me.

"Guess what pokemon I am!" Kain said as he continued to dart back and forth.

"You're a Houndour!" I said laughing.

"No, besides a Houndour."

"Umm," he kept up his strange routine. "A Zigzagoon."

"Yeah!" I smiled.

Eventually we reached the top of the hill and gazed down at the large lake, its crystal clear water sparkling in the sunlight.

"Wow! It's awesome!" Kain said.

"Yeah, it sure is," I said sitting down on the grass. Kain circled around me and sat down on my right side. I scratched the back of his neck, just like I did with Karyme. Kain sighed and leaned his head on my knee. _Wow, he reacted to that just like Karyme would._

"You know, you're just like your mother," I said. Kain looked up at me, his face crestfallen. "What? Don't tell me you don't like your mother?"

"No, I do love mommy. I just wanted to be exactly like you." I smiled down at him.

"Thanks Kain. I'm glad to have you as a son." I scratched the back of his neck again, just like he liked. We sat on the top of that hill for the rest of the afternoon, watching the sun sink lower over the lake. Just before sunset, I decided it was time to head back. Kain and I stood up and took one last good look. Just before I was about to turn around, I saw something at the lake's edge move. A white pokemon emerged from the tree line and began to drink from the lake. Its body was scarred and the horn on the top of his head was broken off. _Something about that pokemon looked too familiar._ Then I had a flash of an Absol peering through the trees at me, Jade by my feet. It flashed again to an alleyway with an Absol picking its head up from an overturned trash can, looking at me. _It was that same Absol from over a year ago!_ A second later I saw an Arcanine emerge from the trees just as the Absol had._ The Arcanine too!_ She walked up to the water right next to the Absol and started drinking too. I saw her nudge her nose against the Absol's. The Absol jumped sideways away from her. He turned his head and looked up to where I was standing. Our eyes locked briefly, before I tore my gaze away from him.

"Come on Kain, let's get back." I said. We turned around and walked back the way we came. Upon reaching the ten, we saw that Luna, Mytka and Drake had returned. Drake was playing with Mytka and Luna and Karyme were lying next to the fire talking to each other. Mytka hugged Drake. And ran over to greet Kain.

"Can we go play in the forest again?" Kain asked.

"It's fine with me. Drake, is it all right for Mytka to go play with Kain in the forest?"

"I don' see a problem with it."

"All right, then have fun you two, but be careful not to get hurt again."

"We'll be careful," Mytka said. Kain and Mytka ran off together into the trees.

"Just be back before it gets too dark!" I called after them. I walked over to Drake and sat down next to him.

"Hey Drake," I said lying back on the grass.

"Sup Alex. So where'd you and Kain go?"

"Just up to the lake."

"That's it huh? Se anything interesting?"

"No." _Wait, I did see that Absol again._ "Well, I did actually. I saw an Absol up at the lake. I that it was that same one we saw nearly a year ago. In that alleyway in Oreburgh City. Do you remember that?"

"Oh yeah! I remember that Absol. It was looking through the trash right?"

"Yeah. Is it uncommon to see the same pokemon again after a whole year without seeing it at all?"

"Well, there are only so many pokemon in this world. But see what I was taught to believe was that Absol were bad luck bringers and seeing them more than once wasn't uncommon."

"Bad Luck?"

"Yeah. They said whenever you saw an Absol, something bad was bound to happen soon. I don't know, I'm just being superstitious."

"You know, I remember learning something about Absol being the "disaster pokemon" when I was in Trainer's School, but I never really knew what that meant." _Then I remembered. Jade saw an Absol that day I started travelling and later that day, she died. Then that day in Oreburgh when we saw an Absol in the alleyway, Karyme got badly injured and both of us nearly got buried when the mine collapsed. So that meant if we saw an Absol today…_

"Drake! We have to fine Kain and Mytka!"

"What? Why? I told you that's just superstition Alex."

"No Drake, it's not! This has happened two times to me already and each time it's ended in death or very near it."

"But Alex, how do you know for sure? It could be just coincidences." I grabbed my backpack and turned around to face him.

"Well, I'm still going whether you are or not. I just don't want to have another repeat of the past. I think I've had more than enough trauma for one life." I started off for the trees.

"Wait Alex." I turned back around to face him. "You're right it makes sense. I'm coming with you."

Drake and I explained to Luna and Karyme the situation. They of course wanted to come with us, but we told them they must stay here in case they came back. Karyme however wouldn't stand for being left behind while Kain and Mytka were out in the forest alone. We decided she could come too. Luna said she was fine with staying and waiting for them to come back. Just before we were about to leave, my ears picked up the sound of paws approaching in the forest. I quickly dropped my backpack and drew my knife. Karyme heard it too and crouched down into a fighting stance, waiting for our attacker. Our supposed attacker turned out to be Kain. He stumbled out of the trees and brush. I quickly slipped my knife back into its scabbard and ran over to Kain. He had tears streaming from his eyes.

"Kain, are you all right?" I placed my hand on his back, but slowly removed it for my hand touched something wet. I looked at my open palm and saw that it was stained red._ Kain's blood._ "Kain… What happened?"

**Earlier**

Mytka and I waved to our parents as we set off into the forest.

"So what do you want to do?" Mytka asked.

"Let's go find Black Fang again!" I said.

"Okay, he'll probably be at his cave then." We both made our way over to his cave._ Black Fang's cave was basically two huge rocks that were right next to each other up against a large rock face. It wasn't exactly what he called home, but it was the best he could do after running away from his real home. He said his father used to abuse him mercilessly, and his mother had died giving birth to him. We've of course offered him to stay with us like my dad asked us to, but he said he didn't want to be a problem and he was also a little shy around humans too. I didn't see why he thought humans were bad. My dad is a human and he's amazing!_

Mytka and I searched the small cave for any sign of him, but he was no where to be found. _Hmmm, that was odd. He was usually at his cave this time of day._

"Maybe he's down by the stream or out looking for berries. He did say he was going to today," Mytka said.

"Let's go look for him!" I said. We walked through the forest as the sun's dying rays poked through the tree canopy. I tried to sniff out Black Fang's scent, but I couldn't pick up anything. (Heh, kinda how I can't pick up any channels on my TV anymore.) Mytka and I continued to walk through the forest, hoping we'd run into him somewhere. We kept our ears and noses open for any sign of Black Fang. We were just about to head back when we heard something moving through the forest ahead of us. We moved towards it, hoping it was Black Fang.

"Black Fang? Is that you?" Mytka called out. The rustling eerily stopped and we halted out footsteps to hear better._ Everything was still and quiet. No pokemon could be heard, the breeze stopped blowing, the leaves stopped rustling. Everything seemed to be dead. _I huddled closer to Mytka_. I didn't like this, something felt wrong._

"Mytka?" I said warily. Before she could respond, two pokemon burst from the brush in front of us and I heard two emerge from behind us. A Croconaw ran straight for me and snapped at me with its powerful jaws. I yelped and jumped backwards away from it. One of the pokemon behind me slashed my back with its powerful claws. I screamed and fell to the ground, bleeding. I watched as a Buizel and a Vaporeon came at Mytka. Mytka used a Low Kick and tripped up the Buizel. She turned to face the Vaporeon, but was met with its powerful tail smashing into her face. Mytka spun on the spot and fell to the ground. _She didn't try and get up. She didn't move at all._

"Mytka!" I yelled. I felt the pokemon behind me step over me and he clamped my muzzle shut with his powerful hands. I looked up and saw a pretty mean looking Golduck staring back down at me.

"Shut up!" he hissed at me. "Do you want me to kill you?"

"Leave him," the Vaporeon said very calmly. I looked over at him. He seemed to be the one in charge, but his voice was old with age. "We only came for the girl. Darius, get her and let's go." The Buizel walked over to the unconscious form of Mytka and picked her up in between his two tails. The Golduck roughly let go of my muzzle and he and the Croconaw followed the Buizel and Vaporeon. I watched Mytka's limp form bobbing up and down with the Buizel's footsteps as the four of them made their way back into the trees.

I started sobbing as I tried desperately to get back to my feet. _I was so scared, I don't know what to do. They just took Mytka! My mom and dad. I had to go tell them._ I tried to stand up again, but failed. The pain from my back was just too intense. I heard a rustling in the trees near me of someone approaching. _Oh great, they were coming back to finish me off._ I tried more vigorously to get back up, but still fell to the ground with each attempt. The movement in the trees turned out to be just Black Fang. He ran over to me as he saw me bleeding and struggling on the ground.

"Kain! What happened to you? Where's Mytka?" I sobbed some more, hearing her name.

"These pokemon… they came and took Mytka."

"Took Mytka! But, why?"

"I don't know."

"Look Kain, I smelled Malak's scent lingering around here. I thought he might be after me, so I had to go hide. But I came back to my cave and smelled yours and Mytka's scent, so I followed it over here as fast as I could. If I would've known this would happen… I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault Black Fang. You couldn't have done anything to stop them. There were four of them and they jumped out from every side."

"Come on, we have to get you back to your parents. They can help." Black Fang helped me up and we walked back to the tent. I was still sobbing, tears streaming from my eyes. When we reached the tree line Black Fang wished me the best and said he was sorry again for not being there. I told him again it was all right and said bye to him, continuing back into the camp. I saw my dad with his knife out, pointing at me. _He probably thought I was some other pokemon. Did he already know about Mytka?_ Once he saw it was just me, he put the knife away and rushed over to me, kneeling down beside me.

"Kain, are you all right?" he asked. He placed his hand on my back, but withdrew it and stared at the blood on his hands. "Kain… What happened?" A couple more tears fell from my eyes_. I had to tell him._ I looked back up at him.

"They took her. Mytka, she's gone dad…"

**End Notes: **Oho! Cliffhangers, how bout em, eh? So during this chapter, you met three more characters, Black Fang, Diablo and Sugar. Credit for Black Fang goes to the one and only awesome dude by the name of wolvesatyourdoor! Diablo and Sugar both belong to Rin Sessys Girl. Also, remember way back from chapter nine that one Electrike named Ichigo? Yeah, he also belongs to Kagome too! Sorry, but I just noticed now I never gave you credit for him! Well, leave a review and let me know what you think about the new point of view. I'll be seeing you guy's next update! 


	19. Defiance

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 19:**** Defiance**

**Author's Notes: **Hey guys! Aren't you just loving these quick updates? Guess what today happens to be? Happy one year anniversary! That's right, today is the exact date that I uploaded the first chapter! Nineteen chapters and over a hundred thousand words later, here we are! For all of you who have been with me since the beginning, I thank you, for all of you who have just started reading, welcome aboard! Also, congratulations to XLeafheartX for being the 200th reviewer! You can have a cookie. *hands one over* And another thing, I looked back at last chapter and I made a symbol to mark where point of view changes were, but it didn't show up in the upload, so instead I will just print the names in bold letters so it'll be much easier to see. All chapters however will always start off as Alex, unless indicated otherwise. Also, Alex and Kain will be the ONLY characters as of now that will be first person in the changes, any other character it switches to will be third person. So, I just want to say that this chapter will make up for how sad the last one was. I'm not saying anymore, so I'll leave you with this wonderful statement. I retain possession of Alex, Karyme, Jade, Drake, Luna, Mytka, and of course Malak.

**Recap: **Kain grows up, meet Black Fang, Mytka and Kain get attacked by Sevipers, meet Diablo and Sugar, Alex and Kain go hiking, Mytka and Kain play in the forest again, Mytka gets kidnapped.

_Poor Kain. He was scared out of his mind._ I healed him up and wrapped a blanket around him, holding him as we sat down in the tent. Karyme was lying down next to me, her head resting on my thigh. Drake and Luna were sitting together, Drake holding Luna close. Luna was sobbing, tears trickling through her fur and down her cheek. She leaned into Drake's chest and Drake held his arm around her, softly rubbing her back. Kain was still shaking and a couple of tears leaked from his eyes.

"Kain," I said softly. "Can you tell us exactly what happened? We need to know to save Mytka." Kain looked up at me.

"Well there were four of them. I know one of them was named Darius, he was a Buizel. Then there was a Croconaw, a Golduck and a Vaporeon." Drake looked up at Kain as he talked. I looked over at Drake, trying to catch his eye, but he was focusing on Kain. "I think the Vaporeon was the leader because he was telling the other ones what to do."

"Hold on," Drake said, standing up and walking over to us. "Can you describe to me what his voice sounded like, Kain?"

"His voice? His voice was really… old and sort of raspy." Drake's eyes narrowed.

"I knew a Buizel named Darius." Drake growled. "And that Vaporeon…" Drake thought for a second, his face scrutinized in deep thought. He growled, it growing louder and louder until he roared with anger. I felt Kain flinch in my arms. Drake turned around and stormed out of the tent. I set down Kain next to Karyme and quickly followed him. Drake was pacing back and forth across the camp furiously, his ragged breathing could be heard from where I was standing. He roared again and punched the tree closest to him, wood splinters flying out of it, and leaving a huge dent in the trunk. _What was he so pissed off about?_

"Drake!" I said approaching him. "Calm down. What are you so mad about anyways?"

"Is there anything really to be happy about right now?" he roared at me. "Let's just have a fucking party right now, I'm feeling so god damn cheery all of a sudden!"

"Drake, stop it! Your anger's making you lash out at me for no reason, just calm down!" Drake glared at me, he was still breathing hard.

"It's him Alex… It's him!"

"What are you talking about? Who?"

"That son of a bitch Sadi!" _Sadi… Well it could be him, Kain said there was a Vaporeon and all of the other pokemon were water types, but what could he want with Mytka? Whatever he did want though, I can't let Drake act out irrationally because of his fury. I knew that Drake and Sadi held grudges for each other. Could that be what he wanted? Just to piss off Drake? It seemed pretty stupid, but not impossible. Or… he could be trying to lure Drake there so he could kill him. Either way, it would be dangerous._

"Look Drake. Whatever we decide to do, we'll do it together, we-"

"There's no time for sitting and thinking! We have to do something now! Who knows what they could be doing to her right now!"

"Drake! Listen to me! We can't just run into this blind! This could all just be a trap Sadi set up to kill you! Right now we just have to think this through and act in the morning, it's too late to do anything right now. Hell, we don't even know where they could be taking her.

"You wanna know where they're taking her? Fine, I'll find them and tell you where they're headed. That mother fucker doesn't know what he's gotten himself into. He may have tortured me, but he won't lay a paw on my daughter!" Drake spread his wings wide and took off into the black sky.

"But Drake! That's not what I meant!" I called after him. He was already too far away for him to hear me. I watched his silhouette against the moonlight as he flew away. I walked back to the tent and found Karyme and Kain both staring at me. Luna was standing up facing me. _She looked ready for a fight._

"Alex," she said. "I think Drake's right. We have to do something instead of nothing and quickly too." I walked over and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"I know Luna, he is right. I promise we'll act as soon as we can, but right now the best thing for us to do would be to get some rest." Luna sighed. She wrapped her paws around my waist and hugged me. I hugged her back, giving her one of those "hugs over" pats on the back, but she didn't let go.

"Thank you Alex, for everything you've done for us. I'm thankful for every little bit you've done. We'll get Mytka back right?"

"Of course we will, without a doubt. I love Mytka as if she were my own daughter. I'd feel very irresponsible if something were to happen to her."

"And I am grateful that you love her as much as Drake and I." She squeezed me harder. _…Ouch._

"Ah, yeah, I am too, but, uhh… Your chest spike Luna…"

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry Alex," she said releasing me at once.

"Eh, it's all right Luna." I looked down at my chest and saw she had made a small hole in my shirt. I watched a small drop of blood leak out from a small puncture.

"Oh no," Luna said. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I clapped her on the shoulder lightly.

"Don't worry Luna, I'm fine. I'll be all right." I smiled at her. "Come on then, you should get some sleep for tomorrow."

"Yeah… I probably should. Well, goodnight then." Luna went over to her bad and crawled in underneath her blankets.

I stayed up for a couple more hours, waiting for Drake to get back. Kain was still wrapped up in his blanket on my lap, asleep. I watched as every few minutes, his ears would twitch in a really cute way. Karyme was lying next to me, also asleep. She had her head lying on my chest. I stroked the fur on her back gently. She sighed and cuddled closer to me in her sleep. Eventually I heard the beating of Drake's wings as he neared. I carefully laid down Karyme's head on a pillow and gently lifted Kain off of me, setting him down by Karyme's underside. Quietly, I made my way out of the tent just in time to see Drake touch down lightly.

"Drake, did you find anything?" I asked him in a hushed voice as I walked over to him.

"I did. It was Sadi like I thought, but they moved to a new location. They used to be just outside of Sunnyshore's city limits, but now they're right in between Lake Valor and Vilestone City. I saw Mytka too… She was unconscious, but she looked unharmed." Drake glanced down at the ground. "I just don't understand, why Mytka?"

"I don't know Drake. I have no clue. But I promise you first thing in the morning we'll set out to get her back. We're all a family here and we don't leave anyone behind."

"Thank you Alex, you really are a true friend."

"Hey, I have to be one in return to my own." I held out my hand to Drake for a high five, handshake, whatever he was up for. Drake looked at my hand, then at me. He pushed my hand aside and moved closer, giving me a hug. _I was shocked that Drake had just hugged me. I always thought that hugs weren't manly enough for him._ I was even more shocked to hear him sniff and talk with his voice all choked up.

"Mytka means everything to me Alex. She puts joy into my life everyday. She helps me forget the awful times I had growing up. I just can't lose her. My life wouldn't feel complete at all without seeing her everyday. I'd do anything at all for her." I really didn't know what to do except pat him on the back a few times.

"She'll be fine Drake. Come on, let's try and get some sleep for tomorrow."

"Okay," Drake said, releasing me. We both walked back into the tent. I lay back down in my spot next to Karyme and Kain. I picked up Kain and set him down on my lap again so Karyme wouldn't squeeze him in between us if she decided to cuddle up next to me in her sleep again. I watched Drake as he lay down next to Luna. He gazed at her as she slept. He smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder gently, slowly stroking her fur. Drake leaned in and kissed her softly on her cheek.

"I love you Luna," he whispered in her ear. Luna rolled over and pressed herself up against Drake's chest.

"Drake…," Luna said in her sleep. Drake wrapped an arm around her and lay his head down next to hers. _I couldn't help but smile. They were a perfect match for each other, despite them being different species of pokemon._ I lay down my head too and tried to fall asleep. _Tomorrow I'll need all the energy I can get…_

**Mytka**

A dark and damp cave was lit by two solitary torches. Their light flickered around the small room revealing a large shape by the far wall. It was a Feraligatr by the name of Ryo. He was busy crushing a few berries together in a small bowl.

"Ryo!" a voice called out. A Vaporeon entered the room followed by a Buizel carrying a Riolu in his tails. The Feraligatr put his bowl down and turned around to face his new guests.

"Yes Alpha?" he asked.

"You will watch this girl until we relieve you of her. You will not leave this room for any purpose. She will be your sole responsibility every minute of the day. Food will be brought to you when you need it. Anything else you may need, you will call for someone to fetch it for you. Are your orders clear?"

"They are Alpha. I will do what you wish with honor," Ryo said bowing slightly.

"Good. Do not disappoint me Ryo. You know the penalty for failing." The Buizel dumped the unconscious form of Mytka on the cave floor.

"Indeed I do Alpha. Failure is not a term I am familiar with." Alpha Sadi nodded and left the room with the Buizel. Ryo stared at the unconscious Riolu. He walked over to her and picked her up, carrying her over to his makeshift bed of enormous leaves. He lay her down gently on it. Ryo looked over Mytka's small body. _What was Sadi doing now, Ryo thought. What could he possibly want with a little girl? That cruel sadist. _Ryo sighed and reached down into his small compartment underneath his bed where he kept his various berry mixtures. He was the one in charge of healing the pack members and really anything else related to that. Very few pokemon actually knew his name. Around the pack's cave, he was known as "The Medicine Man." He finally found what he was looking for. A small mixture of Sitrus berry and a Pecha berry to add taste. He set the bowl down next to the bed. _He would help the Riolu eat when she woke up. _He sat down against the cave wall and leaned back, resting his head against the cool stone. _Ryo would not stand for Sadi's cruel ways this time. He couldn't believe what Sadi had done to that poor Delcatty a couple of weeks ago. He had tried to repair her broken body after Sadi was done with her, but it was no good. She was able to stop the pain by herself, but at the cost of her own life. _

_And then nearly two years ago, that poor Charmeleon. Sadi killed him out of pure hate for any pokemon that wasn't a water type. Nobody actually knows where his body went. Sadi just explained that the Charmeleon had turned on the whole pack and he had to take action. What a bunch of bullshit. The Charmeleon had fought with Sadi, but lost. He stumbled around weak and in a daze. He didn't know where he was and he accidently fell into the river, getting washed away downstream. Ryo had remembered that Charmeleon too._

Nearly two weeks ago Sadi had made an alliance with another pack. The Alpha of this pack was a Mightyena named Malak. Ryo never dreamed that he would find someone even more sadistic than Sadi. Malak had told Sadi and the pack that all they had to do was follow his orders and he wouldn't have to kill us all. Ryo wasn't sure what the exact orders were, but he was guessing it had something to do with the Riolu lying on the bed next to him.

For the four years he had belonged to this pack, Sadi had been Alpha the whole time. Ryo hated the way the pack was run. Tensions were high, pokemon were jumpy and scared all the time and the overall morale of the pack was low. Sadi had a little group of personal guards that followed him around everywhere, or more known to the rest of the pack, his soldiers. They were ruthless, not caring about anything or anyone. But Ryo had a plan. The first chance he got, he would help the Riolu escape and then escape himself. He wouldn't have to worry at all about Sadi's soldiers hunting him down because if this Riolu was important to Malak, then they would all be dead. But he couldn't just leave without trying to warm as many of the innocent pack members about the incoming doom.

Ryo opened his eyes as he heard the Riolu groan. He knelt down in front of her and her eyelids fluttered open suddenly. She flinched and tried to get up and away from the Feraligatr leaning over her. The large size and razor sharp teeth of Ryo startled her. Ryo placed one of his scaly hands over her.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you little one. Lie still," Ryo said. Mytka looked at the large hand holding her down. It was as big as her torso and the claws on the ends of his fingers looked pretty sharp. Mytka decided the smart idea would be to obey. She lied still like he said.

"W-Where's my mommy and daddy? Who are you?" She sounded scared out of her mind and Ryo didn't blame her. Waking up in a strange place with a pokemon fifteen times bigger than you staring down at you.

"I don't know where your mommy and daddy are," Ryo said, softly brushing his thumb against her cheek to calm her down. "My name is Ryo and I'm," Ryo looked over his shoulder to see if there was anyone else nearby. He leaned in closer and spoke in a more hushed voice. "And I'm going to try to get you out of here and back to your mommy and daddy."

"Really?" Mytka asked confused. Ryo nodded. "Why? Aren't you supposed to do what your Alpha tells you to do?"

"Well I think our Alpha is a bad man and I don't like him at all." Mytka's supposed captor was now her supposed savior. "What's your name little one?"

"Mytka."

"Mytka. That's a nice name. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ryo held out his hand to her and Mytka placed her paw in his hand. They shook hands. Mytka was amazed that Ryo, being a big pokemon, was very gentle.

"Now I have some berries for you I mixed just this afternoon. It'll help with some of those cuts and make you feel a whole lot stronger," Ryo said picking up the bowl. Mytka actually smiled as she tasted the berries. It was really good. Mytka and Ryo continued talking for another couple of hours until it got really late and Mytka could barely keep her eyelids open. Ryo gave Mytka his bed and Ryo took the floor next to her. Mytka was scared to fall asleep in the dark cave, but Ryo reassured her that everything would be fine and that he was right there if she needed him. Mytka fell asleep not too long after that…

It was the middle of the night and both Mytka and Ryo were sleeping peacefully. Outside of the room, hushed voices could be heard, drawing nearer.

"Shh, we're getting close."

"Are you sure she's in there?"

"I swear dude, I saw her arrive a couple of hours ago."

"What about that big bloke, what's his name? Ryo, that's it, what about Ryo?"

"That guy's too big of a heavy sleeper. I prodded him a couple of times on the nose while he was sleeping, I did. Didn't budge up at all. Shh, we're here now." Two pokemon peered around the corner into the room. The first one was a Buizel and the second, a Quagsire. Seeing that no one was awake, they slowly made their way into the room. They spotted Mytka on the bed and made their way over to her. She was curled up on the bed of leaves, her small body rising and falling with each breath she took.

"See? I told you she was here," the Buizel said. Mytka began to stir in her sleep, opening a bleary eye. Both of her eyes snapped open as she saw the two pokemon looking at her.

"W-Who are you?" Mytka asked. The Buizel and Quagsire looked at each other and forced themselves not to laugh out loud.

"Aww, come on now. Can't you start off with a nice hello or a polite handshake?"

"What do you want? Ryo didn't call for anyone."

"Oh, we were just passing by and decided to drop in and uh," the Buizel jumped up and placed his forepaws on the edge of the bed. Mytka gasped. Underneath him, something red and throbbing was hanging there. "Have a little fun," the Buizel finished, an evil smile spreading across his face. Mytka retreated back until she hit the cave wall. The Buizel followed her, jumping up fully onto the bed. He reached Mytka and pinned her arms to the wall with his forepaws.

"No, I don't like this. "Please stop, please." The Buizel chuckled.

"That's the point though. You're not supposed to like it. I am. And how can I stop? We haven't even begun yet." Ryo started to stir from hearing all of the voices in his cave. He opened his eyes groggily and jumped when he saw a Quagsire jerking himself at something going on on the bed. Ryo looked over and saw the Buizel pinning Mytka against the wall, sporting an erection. Mytka looked over at Ryo as he woke up.

"Ryo!" she shouted. The Buizel growled because she had woken up Ryo. He quickly moved closer to Mytka. Mytka did the first thing that popped into her mind. She swung her foot upwards and connected with the Buizel's balls. The Buizel howled in pain and released Mytka, doubling over. Ryo growled loudly and quickly stood up. He gave the Quagsire a hard kick in the gut, which sent him skidding away towards the door. Ryo turned to the Buizel on the bed. He grabbed the Buizel by the back of his neck and tossed him over next to his buddy.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Ryo roared. "She's just a little girl! What were you thinking? You two are just sick. Think what Alpha would do to you if he finds out about this!" The Buizel and Quagsire picked themselves up off of the floor.

"You fucking wanker. You're going to bloody well pay for this."

"Get out of here!" Ryo roared. He took a heavy step towards them and they bolted. Ryo turned around to Mytka. "Are you all right Mytka?" he asked walking over to her and kneeling down in front of her. "Did they hurt you at all?" Mytka shook her head.

"No, I'm okay."

"All right good. That was a close one. Wake me up earlier if you need to okay?"

"Okay, I will Ryo. Thanks for helping me."

"Hey, it was no problem. I'm going to have to get you out of here sooner. It really isn't that safe for you here." Ryo looked around the small cave. "Well, how about we get back to sleep then," Ryo said standing up and walking back to his spot on the floor.

"Umm, Ryo?" Mytka asked.

"Yes Mytka?" Ryo said turning back around.

"I'd feel much safer if you… if you slept with me for the rest of the night."

"You want me to?"

"Could you please?" Ryo made his way back to the bed of leaves and lay down next to Mytka. Mytka smiled up at him and Ryo returned it. The two of them fell asleep gradually. Mytka rolled over in her sleep and leaned in against Ryo's underside. A couple of minutes later, Ryo placed his hand over her small body protectively in his sleep too…

**Alex**

The early morning sun cracked over the mountains. _Drake and Luna were already up, but I wasn't too far behind them._ I stretched and yawned as I sat up in my sleeping bag. _Well, today was the day. This was definitely going to be the most dangerous thing we have done together yet, but we had to get Mytka back. _I stood up and put my boots on, walking out of the tent.

"Morning," Luna said as she saw me. Luna was in the process of stirring a large pot of a berry flavored porridge. Drake was sitting next to her, hunched over next to the fire. He gazed into the flickering flames, his face determined.

"Morning," I said, returning Luna's greeting. We ate breakfast in silence. After we were all finished I turned to Drake. "Okay Drake, you're going to be the main guy today. I thought this over last night and the best idea would of course be to do this as quickly as we can. You're going to have to fly hard and fast. Once we get inside, Luna and I will take over, because of your fire type weakness to water attacks. We locate Mytka and get out of there as fast as we can." I turned to Luna. "Which reminds me, would it be all right if I brought Mytka's pokeball too, so we don't have to carry her out?"

"I would prefer that she does get in the pokeball. It would be much safer for her there." I nodded.

"Are there any suggestions or disagreements with my plan?"

"Yeah, I'll do it your way on one condition," Drake said. "I kill Sadi on our way out." I sighed. _I knew he was going to say something like that._

"Well I can't stop you on that one. Do you at least want me to help you?"

"No, I want to do this by myself Alex."

"I can understand that Drake, I'll let you have your fight. But I'm just letting you know now, if the fight isn't going your way, I will step in. I'm not going to let you get yourself killed just so you can uphold your personal honor." Drake hung his head and gazed into the flames again.

"You won't have to lift a finger Alex. It'll be over before he realizes he's dead." I nodded again.

"All right, are you two ready?" I packed up everything we needed. Before we left, I snuck into the tent and gave Karyme a small kiss on her cheek. When I cam beck outside I found Luna and Drake sharing a kiss.

"I love you so much Luna darling," Drake said.

"I love you too Drake." They hugged each other. "We'll make it out okay, right?"

"Definitely. We can't fail." They shared another quick kiss and I returned Luna to her pokeball, climbing onto Drake's back.

We flew out over Lake Valor, heading northwest. It took about only an hour to arrive at the pack site. Drake said the entrance was a small hole in the rock wall on a river that empties into Sinnoh's western sea. We flew along the coast. The rock walls were high, almost being able to be called cliffs instead of walls. The waves from the sea splashed hard against the rock, spraying water high into the air. As we flew, we kept our eyes open for the inlet in the rock that was the river. We found it after a couple of minutes and proceeded to head upstream._ Now all we had to do was find the hole in one of the walls on the side of the river. _I looked up at the ( Right there, the word "the" is the 100,000th word! Yay six figures! :D) high walls of the river. _They were nearly as high as the ones on the sea coast_. As I looked up at the tops of the cliffs, I saw a Poliwhirl looking out at us as we flew by. It withdrew its head back into the bushes as it saw me spot it. I tapped Drake and leaned down to speak into his ear over the roaring of the wind.

"I think they know we're coming."

"Right, let's do this!" We suddenly heard a voice ring out over the roaring of the rushing river.

"Get them!" it screamed. _A second later a different kind of roaring grew louder and louder and it wasn't the water from the river. It was the yelling voices of probably a hundred pokemon._ Water type pokemon in one huge line on either side of the river stepped out of the bushes. They all stepped up to the edge of the cliff, still yelling their battle cry. All different kinds of water attacks burst from their mouths, firing down at us.

"Hold on!" Drake yelled. I grabbed on tight and Drake spun through the air to dodge the attacks. We twisted and turned through the air, flying down low over the river. The Water Guns and Hydro Pumps hit the water around us and exploded, sending huge towers of water flying into the air. Drake twisted and turned around these easily. _We couldn't escape though, we were trapped. We couldn't fly up from the near solid wall of water attacks flying over our heads. We couldn't turn around and head back because we'd have to stop first then turn around, making us an easy target. Our only hope was if we found the small opening in the rock wall._

All of a sudden, something exploded in front of us in the water and it wasn't caused by one of the numerous attacks raining down on us. A Gyrados soared out of the water straight for us. Drake acted quickly by dodging down underneath it. I looked up and my heartbeat quickened as everything seemed to slow down around me. I watched the giant serpent soar just barely over out heads. Water droplets splattered against Drake and I, the Gyrados casting an enormous shadow. The Gyrados hit the water again behind us and disappeared. I turned back around and saw a Hydro Pump attack heading straight for us. _The Gyrados must have blocked Drake's field of vision. _Drake pulled up and away from the water to avoid the attack. The blast of water just barely scraped by us and hit the water underneath us. The torrent of water from the Hydro Pump blasted upwards and hit Drake's underside. _Shit!_ I lost my grip and flew from Drake's back. I acted quickly, plunging my hand into my backpack and retrieving Drake's pokeball. I spun around in mid-air and returned Drake as he was spiraling down towards the surface of the river. I didn't have time to land properly in the water, so my back smacked against the hard surface. A shock ran through my body as I sank into the cold water, sinking deeper with every second. _I felt like I didn't have the energy to even lift my arm up. I felt like I didn't even have the energy to save myself. _The light at the surface grew darker and darker, the bubbles around me floating upwards. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was the silhouette of a large pokemon swim past my field of vision and a pair of strong hands grab me around my middle. _I didn't have any energy to try and resist._ I let the scaly fingers drag me deeper and deeper into the water. _Deeper into my doom…_

I woke up later, coughing and expelling a gulp of water from my mouth. I was soaking wet, lying on the hard and cold rock of a cave floor, in a puddle of water.

"Ah, I knew you were going to be okay," said a voice close by. I sat up quickly and saw a Feraligatr standing next to a large bed of leaves. My hand flew for my knife, but it wasn't there. I looked over at the Feraligatr again and saw him holding it up to show me he had it. He set it back down on top of my soaking wet backpack. _Great, now I was completely unarmed with a huge Feraligatr staring me down._

"I assure you, you will not have to fight me." _Fine. If he won't give me my knife, I'll have to use Drake and Luna instead for protection._

"I'd feel much safer if I was able to have my friends beside me."

"That is all right, as long as they do not leave this room that is." Ryo stood up and walked my backpack over to me. I glanced at the bed he was sitting in front of and saw…

"Mytka!" _She wasn't moving._ "You better not have hurt her," I said menacingly to the Feraligatr. He handed me my backpack and placed his other hand on his chest.

"I promise you I have harmed not one hair on her body. She has been here with me the whole time since she arrived. As of right now, she is sleeping." I stood up holding onto my backpack._ Okay, something was up. This guy was way too nice. Drake described the pack members to be vicious and cruel._

"You don't seem like the normal pack member I would expect to see in this place." The Feraligatr sighed.

"You're right actually. My name is Ryo," he said extending his hand out to me. I carefully grasped his scaly hand and shook it.

"Alex. What makes you so different then?" Ryo let go of my hand.

"Before you arrived I had a plan and was about to put it in action. Next thing I know, I'm pulling you out of the river and dragging you back here. My plan was to help Mytka get out of here and back to her parents."

"What? Why would you put yourself at risk like that?"

"Because I cannot stand the evil things Sadi does to those he keeps captive. But the real twist in the plan that makes it all work is that out pack is allied with some Mightyena named Malak and-"

"What! You're allied with Malak?"

"Hold on, hold on. Let me finish. Yes our pack is allied with him and I have reason to believe that Mytka is important to Malak. So if I were to get Mytka out and then get out myself, Malak would be so enraged he and his pack will attack ours and get rid of Sadi in the process. Malak promised us that the second we disobeyed or dissatisfied him, he will attack and kill us all." I thought for a minute. _He seemed like he was on our side, I mean he was telling me his whole plan so he obviously trusted me enough and I should probably return that trust._

"Well, I believe you Ryo. If you don't mind, I'm going to let my pokemon out, Drake and Luna. They're both Mytka's parents." I took out Drake and Luna's pokeballs and opened them up, letting them out. They both looked around the dark cave, their eyes adjusting to the dim light. Luna saw me standing close to her and she walked over to stand next to me, looking over at Drake, probably hoping he would follow too. Drake looked around and the first thing he spotted was Ryo and he quickly glanced at the bed and saw Mytka lying there, unmoving. Ryo walked up to Drake, extending his hand.

"Hello, my name is Ryo," he said. "You must be Drake, Mytka's father." Drake's eyes were darting back and forth from Ryo to Mytka. _Oh shit, he was putting two and two together._ Drake roared and took a powerful swing at Ryo, hitting him in the side of the face. The force from Drake's sudden attack sent Ryo stumbling backwards, holding his face. Mytka heard Drake's roar and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She saw Drake attacking Ryo.

"Daddy!" she screamed. "Stop! Don't hurt him!" Drake swung at Ryo again, but this time Ryo was ready. He caught Drake's fist in his hand, holding it in front of him. Drake roared and swung at Ryo with his other fist, but Ryo caught that fist too. The two of them were locked in a strength contest now, trying to push each other down. Ryo slowly pushed Drake backwards until Drake's back was pressed up against the wall.

"Calm down now Drake," Ryo said. "I'm on your side, not an enemy of yours."

"Drake, he's telling the truth," I said. "He's going to help us escape." Drake bared his teeth at Ryo. _Ryo must've been pushing pretty hard._ Drake exhaled loudly and his stature slackened. Ryo let go of Drake's fists and backed up from him. Drake glared at Ryo as he walked over to stand next to Luna. Mytka jumped out of the bed and ran into her father's awaiting arms.

"Right, so are we going to do this or what?" Ryo asked.

"Yes, let's hurry and get out of here already." I said grabbing my backpack off of the floor. Luna was hugging Mytka tightly to her chest. She released her and leaned down to talk to her.

"Mytka sweetie, Uncle Alex is going to put you into your pokeball to keep you safe on our way out. We'll see you as soon as we get back."

"Okay mommy." Mytka gave Luna one last hug before I returned her to her pokeball.

"Lead the way," I told Ryo. We moved out of the room and into a small corridor. Ryo made a left, proceeding down the tunnel. He turned his head around to look at me as we walked.

"Now all we have to do is make it out of here without anyone spotting us." As fate would have it, when we rounded the corner, a Prinplup was running towards us.

"Ryo!" she called out. "Oh thank Arceus I found you! Alpha wants you to bring the girl to the main entrance right away." She lowered her voice. "Malak's here and he wants to see her right now to prove she's actually here. He says if you don't hurry, he's going to get angry. You know what he said he'd do if he gets angry with us." The Prinplup stopped and her eyes widened as she saw Drake, Luna and I standing behind Ryo.

"Sarya, forget about what you're supposed to be doing. I'm going to help the Riolu escape. This is her parents and friend. They were the ones that invaded this morning. But Sarya, this is what you have to do, you must hurry too. Tell everyone you know, but only those that are pure hearted and do not deserve to perish from Malak's rage. Tell them to get out of here and flee. You remember Malak's promise right?" The Prinplup nodded. "Then you must hurry, otherwise people will die."

"Okay Ryo, I trust you. I'll hurry." She started to run off back the way she came. "Oh! Good luck to you all!" she called over her shoulder.

"Where are we headed?" I asked Ryo.

"We're headed to the rear entrance and we're gonna sneak out of here with as little fighting as we can muster."

"Well, it's not a very original plan, but it's bound to work with everyone by the main entrance."

"I have a friend named Rick. He's waiting in the eastern corridor for us. He's going to help us escape and then cover our backs." We kept on walking until we entered a very large and open room. It had many other corridors and tunnels leading off of it.

"This is the main room of our pack. Where Alpha gives speeches, where we gather for announcements… where Alpha executes those who are unfaithful to him." We walked across the vast chamber, my boots echoing off of the walls.

"Drake, buddy!" The four of us spun around at the sound of the voice. _I knew that voice and sure enough, it turned out to be the Alpha himself... Fuck._ "Haven't seen each other in such a long time!"

"Shut up Sadi!" Drake said taking a couple of steps towards him. "Just cut the bullshit!"

"You should've let us know you were coming, we could've… arranged your death party. It seems like you just didn't want to fucking die last time!" As he talked, ten other pokemon revealed themselves, standing behind him. "You stupid slippery mother fucker!"

"Enough of your talking already!" Drake said. "I can't stand to hear your voice, old man. I would much rather hear you screaming in pain." Sadi whispered something to his guards and started walking forward.

"Nobody insults me!" he yelled at Drake. "You hear me? You're dead!"

"Yeah, yeah. Give me your best shot already old man." Sadi yelled and started running towards Drake. Drake took off and flew towards Sadi. _The ceiling in this room was high enough to allow him to fly._ Sadi shot a strong Hydro Pump at Drake, which he easily dodged by doing a barrel roll. (Do a barrel roll!) Drake tried to tackle Sadi to the ground, but Sadi was too quick for him. He jumped and did a somersault in mid-air, striking Drake in the face with his strong tail. Drake fell to the ground, sliding across the stone. He got up quickly and faced Sadi. Sadi glared at Drake with a huge grin on his face. They both suddenly charged at each other again. Drake charged up a Fire Blast attack as he flew towards him and let it loose directly at Sadi. Sadi used another Hydro Pump and it collided with the Fire Blast, negating it. The fire super heated the water and the whole room was instantly filled with steam._ It was nearly impossible to see even ten feet in front of you. _I couldn't see Drake anymore, but I could still see Sadi. Sadi looked around him for any sign of Drake. He prowled slowly through the mist, twisting his head back and forth.

"Come on Drake," Sadi called out cautiously. "We're not playing a game of hide and seek here." I heard Drake roar. Sadi's head instantly snapped to the source of the noise. "Show yourself and face me like a real man!" Everything was quiet again and a couple of seconds later, Drake flew out of the steam and hit Sadi hard. He pinned Sadi down and wrapped his hands around Sadi's neck. I could hear Sadi making sounds as Drake choked him. Sadi's tail flew up again and hit Drake hard in the stomach. Drake rolled over and threw Sadi hard, slamming him into the wall. Sadi snarled menacingly as he stood up. Drake and Sadi charged at each other again. Drake lunged downwards at Sadi, but Sadi had the quicker reflexes and quickly jumped, soaring cleanly over Drake's head. Drake stumbled, trying not to fall and catching himself before he hit the wall. Sadi landed on his paws and skid around to face Drake. He charged at him and jumped onto his back sinking his teeth into him. Drake roared in pain and stomped around angrily, trying to throw Sadi off. Drake reached around with his arms, desperately trying to grab onto Sadi. His hand finally closed around one of his ears. He pulled with all of his might, eventually making Sadi let go from the great pain he was causing him. Drake brought Sadi up over his head and slammed him down onto the ground hard, on his back. Drake kneeled down onto Sadi's tail to keep it from smacking him again. Sadi cried out from the great weight put on his tail. Sadi was wheezing hard after getting all of the wind knocked out of him from that slam.

"You should have died a long time ago," Drake said.

"Fuck you… Fuck you!" Sadi yelled. I couldn't see Sadi's facial expression from where I was standing. Drake had his back turned to me and the only part of Sadi I could see was the end of his tail. Drake's head struck down at Sadi. I heard Sadi making noises as if he was choking on something and I watched his tail twitch violently. His tail continued to twitch until it slowed and finally fell limp. I suddenly became very aware of Sadi's guards. They filtered into the room, growling and moving around the edges, trying to surround us. Drake picked his head back up, his fangs dripping with blood. I rushed over to him, kneeling down next to him.

"You did great Drake. Do you want to rest and have us take it from here?"

"A rest would be great Alex. I'm too beat up to fight much more." I returned Drake to his pokeball and stood up. A rather large looking Floatzel was staring me down, his fangs bared. I quickly drew my knife. There must have been at least ten of them, it was too hard to count properly. They had us completely surrounded by now. _These weren't the usual grunts that got thrown at us, these guys were the elite. Sadi trusted them with his life to protect him. I wonder why he didn't have them try to save him then… That was probably what Sadi whispered to them before fighting Drake, not to interfere because this was his fight._ Ryo, Luna and I backed up into a more tightly knit group. We stared down the oncoming attackers, waiting for someone to make the first move. We all suddenly heard a loud series of growls and snarls echo down one of the tunnels leading to this room, growing louder and louder. Sadi's guards snapped their heads around to the new sound. One of them gasped.

"It's Malak's strike force! Run!" Out of the tunnel, about ten or so canine type pokemon came sprinting out. Before the water pokemon even had time to run, Malak's pokemon were tackling them and killing some of them instantly. The last to emerge into the room was Malak himself. He looked around the room as his minions ripped Sadi's guards to shreds. He spotted the three of us and a wicked smile spread across his face.

"Let's go!" Ryo yelled. He punched a Luxio hard in the face as it jumped for Ryo. Ryo cleared the way across the room and we ran after him, out of the battle. I looked behind us and saw Malak pursuing us, jumping clear over battling couples and dead bodies. We rounded the corner and ran down another long corridor. I heard Malak behind us, his nails clicking loudly on the cave floor.

"We can't outrun him Ryo! We need to lose him. Where are we headed?"

"Just around the next corner, there's a shortcut." We turned the corner and came face to face with a small pool of water. _What the hell? Where was the shortcut?_ "Grab onto me!" Ryo shouted. Luna and I grabbed onto each of Ryo's arms. "Hold your breath!" Ryo jumped and dove into the pool of water. I opened my eyes and felt Ryo propel himself forwards. We swam through a small underwater tunnel. A few seconds later, our heads broke the surface of the water and we emerged into yet another corridor. "Quickly," Ryo said. He jumped out of the water, pulling us with him. "This was merely a shortcut, not a one-way pass. Malak will find his way around." We started running again. "Come on, Rick is up ahead, he'll help us escape." We ran down a few more corridors until we found a Squirtle standing at the end of one, a roaring waterfall behind him. He was a normal Squirtle, except he was wearing a cape. We ran over to him.

"Rick!" Ryo said. "Glad to see you buddy."

"Hey Ryo. Did you manage to get away without-" Rick was cut off by an ominous clicking sound coming from the other hall.

"Come on, we're getting out of here now," Ryo said. Rick turned and faced down the hallway and planted his feet firmly, ready to fight. "Rick! I said we're leaving!"

"Go Ryo! I'll slow him down the best I can!" I watched as Malak rounded the corner and faced us, planting his feet just as Rick did. We stared each other down. A smile spread across Malak's face again and he slowly started walking towards us.

"Luna, go with Ryo," I said pushing Luna slightly in Ryo's direction.

"Alex," she said warily.

"Go now Luna!" I yelled, turning to look at her. She nodded and went with Ryo. Malak picked up his pace into a trot and then again until he was sprinting towards us. Rick shot a strong Water Gun at Malak. Malak side stepped it easily as if it were nothing.

"Rick! Now, let's go!" Ryo shouted. He jumped off of the waterfall with Luna on his back. Rick shot an Ice Beam at Malak. Malak destroyed it with a Shadow Ball attack, conjuring a large smoke cloud. Malak was hidden behind it for a few seconds. He jumped through it, the smoke billowing off to the sides of the tunnel.

"Shit, we gotta jump. Now!" I turned around and swept up Rick in my left arm, diving off of the waterfall with him. I spun around in mid-air to see how close Malak was. Malak's snarling face was just inches from my foot. He took a snap at my foot and just barely missed the hem of my pants. Malak landed on the rock and skidded to a halt just before the edge of the waterfall. Rick and I fell down the waterfall until we hit the cool water at the bottom. I felt a pair of strong scaly hands grab me and pull me up out of the water.

"Alex, are you all right?" Ryo asked me. He set me down on his back. Rick was swimming alongside Ryo.

"Yeah, yeah I'm all right." I looked up at the top of the waterfall and could just barely make out Malak's furious face. "Come on, let's go." Ryo started swimming for the exit. Once we started getting close to the end of the tunnel, Ryo turned his head around to look at me.

"How long can you hold your breath for?" I thought for a second.

"Swim fast, I'll let you know when I need to breath."

"Well I know I can't hold mine for very long," Luna said. "I'll just go back in my ball." Luna reached into my backpack and touched her ball with her paw, disappearing in a flash of red light.

"Deep breath," Ryo said as we finally reached the end of the long tunnel. Ryo dove underwater and instantly picked up his speed, practically flying through the water. We swam down the same river we flew up this morning. _It seemed like a much longer trip now._ The water around us was very clear. I could see many water pokemon swimming around us. Some were wild and some were pokemon who had just escaped from the pack. Some of them swam up next to us, giving me a pat on the back or a hug and giving Ryo a big smile. I even got a kiss from a rather cute looking Dewgong. My breath was starting to run out, so I tapped Ryo on his shoulder and pointed my finger upwards. Ryo swam upwards and we broke the surface. I took deep breaths of the wonderful air. It was still April and the water was freezing, but I could definitely smell summer approaching. I looked behind us to see how far we've gone. I couldn't even see the river anymore and ahead I could barely make out Sunnyshore City.

"Wow, you sure do swim fast," I said. "So anyways, where are you going to go now?"

"Where can't I go. I'm free! I will admit though, it will be hard to find another place to settle down though. I can find somewhere eventually. It'll just take a little time."

"Well, you are always welcome to stay with us if you'd like."

"No, no. I couldn't intrude on you like that. It would be very impolite."

"I have no problem with it and I'm sure Mytka would love to have you and maybe my son Kain too once he warms up to you." Ryo gazed out into the open sea.

"Maybe for a couple of weeks until I find someplace." I smiled as we started back for home. _We got Mytka back and now we had a new companion. For us it was a loss and then a double gain._ I looked at the sun setting over the water. _It reminded me of Karyme. _I sighed and got ready for the long journey home. _I couldn't wait to see her…_

**End Notes:** Well, that's chapter 19 down. Mytka's been rescued, Sadi is no longer a threat to them and Alex and friends barely escaped Malak again! Who saw that coming, huh? Anybody? But yeah, this is definitely my longest chapter as of now, totaling at 9,031 words! I finally broke 9,000 words! Woo, party time! Next chapter will be out soon, I promise you that! Probably in a couple of days, before this weekend sometime. Anyways, please drop in a review before you go. I love to hear from you guys! Let me know what you think about anything that happened this chapter. What you liked, what you didn't like, suggestions you may have for me, any ideas you think I should do, etc. Thank you everybody! *Sits back and waits for people to scream at me because of Mytka almost getting raped.* P.S. I'm deeply sorry about that…


	20. Part 2 Epilogue: Winds of Change

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 20:**** Part 2 Epilogue: Winds of Change**

**Author's Notes: **Before I start off, yes I did rip the title name off of the Scorpions' song "Winds of Change." Oh and I believe you owe me Park Place Retsukuuza! Yes, I have figured out what your name was and I'm 90% sure I have the correct spelling. But you gotta admit, I'm pretty damn close eh? Now that we've got that out of the way… Welcome to the last chapter of part 2! I know, it is a sad occasion, but I think it's amazing that some of you survived my pointless ranting in my author's notes up until now! Now a lot of you said you hated me almost having Mytka raped and I completely understand. I just needed to establish Ryo's protective character. Once again, I still own Alex, Jade, Karyme, Luna, Drake *pant pant* Mytka, Kain, Ryo and Malak. Enjoy, as I know you guys always will!

**Recap:** Find out Sadi kidnapped Mytka, Mytka wakes up and meets Ryo, Mytka ALMOST gets raped, Ryo saves her, Alex invades Sadi's territory, Alex meets Ryo, Drake fights Sadi and kills him, escape from Malak, Ryo decides to stay with them for a little while.

_Two weeks ago I would have never thought I'd find a new friend and definitely not a guy who held Mytka captive, even if he didn't hurt her at all. But now, it is two weeks after the unfortunate mishap of Mytka being kidnapped and I was lying back on the grassy bank of Lake Valor watching Ryo playing with Mytka and Kain in the water. Ryo got along great with the pups and they loved him. _ Ryo was underwater with just his eyes and the top of his powerful jaws sticking out of the water. He was swimming after Mytka and Kain. They were laughing as they swam as fast as they could away from him. Ryo was chasing Kain now. Mytka jumped up onto Ryo's back.

"I got you!"

"Oh no!" Ryo groaned as if Mytka had dealt a fatal blow to him. Mytka jumped off of his stomach and he rolled over, floating belly up. Kain swam over to them and both he and Mytka climbed up onto Ryo's stomach.

"We beat him Mytka," Kain said. "Your plan worked!"

"No it didn't!" Ryo shouted, suddenly waking up. Kain and Mytka yelled and tried to get away, but Ryo wrapped each of his arms around them and stood up.

"Hey, you tricked us!" Mytka said. Ryo laughed and began to walk out of the water, setting them down on the bank. They both shook the water out of their fur and ran up the bank to go play some more.

"Stay close to the camp!" Luna called after them. Ryo walked back up the bank too, flopping down next to Drake.

"How's it going Drake?" Ryo asked.

"Sup dude," Drake said, punching him on the arm lightly. _Drake and Ryo didn't really start off as the best of friends back when they first met. Actually, I think Drake wanted to kill Ryo for a little while. But now they got along great. I think Drake idolizes Ryo a little bit because of his strength. Drake always wanted to be the strongest of everyone he met, but he's met his match. Drake would always challenge Ryo to some contest of strength. Ryo would nobly refuse, but the times when they did compete, Ryo would always win. Drake always hated to lose, but this he was a good sport about. I was really glad that everything was back to normal though._ I smiled and lay back on the grass, wrapping an arm around Karyme. She giggled and licked my cheek. _Yeah, life was perfect right now…_

Nearly a hundred miles away, was Jubilife City. It was a normal day and people were bustling around as usual. Car horns were honking, people walked on the sidewalks, store clerks yelled out their various items for sale. Just a regular day. The huge TV screens above the sidewalks flickered from their various advertisements to a Jubilife TV news report.

"We have breaking news from Sandgem Town," a reporter said over the TV. A few people stopped to glance up at the huge screen. "It appears a pack of canine type pokemon have completely taken over the once peaceful town. Autopsies of the various mangled bodies resulted from the attack report that one of the victims was Professor Rowan. His tragic death has shaken his assistant, Dawn, who has been taken captive by the assaulting pokemon and is being used as their spokesperson." Many people gasped and nearly all of the commuters below were looking at the screens now, their various appointments and destinations completely forgotten. "The spokesperson recorded this message earlier today and it was released to the media." The screen blacked out and was filled with static. A second later, a girl with a short pink skirt, blue hair and a white cap atop her head appeared sitting in a chair, holding a piece of paper. Tearstains could be seen on her face. She started speaking instantly in a very plain and monotonous voice.

"Hello citizens of Sinnoh. I am Dawn, the new spokesperson of Malak and his grand empire. As of today, Sandgem town is now the property of Malak and his followers. Any opposition would be a very big mistake and will be dealt with in a very forceful manner. Your beloved Professor Rowan is dead." Dawn choked up as she said his name. "Your cooperation with us will result in less pokemon and humans alike having to suffer for any disobedience. For too long humans have been in charge, but today is a new day. This is a new dawn for captured and enslaved pokemon. Join Malak and his empire and we assure you trying to stay alive will be much easier for you. As for humans, Malak cannot promise that most of you will survive the outcome of this. Anyone wishing to surrender are welcome to come forward now. Thank you all and hail Malak." After Dawn was done with her speech, she broke down into tears. The camera shut off and was replaced with static again. The TV switched back to the reporter, who began to talk again, but hardly anyone was paying attention anymore. Murmurs ran through the crowd and some people started running for home. "I have relatives in Sandgem!" somebody screamed.

But little did the people of Jubilife and soon all of Sinnoh know, Malak had much bigger plans then just Sandgem Town. Malak would never be satisfied with his power, no matter how strong he became. He wanted more, he will soon have more and nobody will be able to take that from him. Soon he will be too powerful for anyone to stop him. But then again, nothing and nobody could. His force was supreme, his followers totaling at nearly 500 members, that number growing stronger and stronger with each pack he takes over. It all started on Leynoh Island with the Houndoom pack and it hasn't stopped since. He will control all of the pokemon in Sinnoh and the ones he couldn't take control over, will die. Soon he would have much more than just Sandgem Town. Soon he will have everything he wanted. Soon he will have his ultimate prize…

**End Notes: **All right then! So that's two parts down so far! If some of you haven't realized what just happened, Malak took over Sandgem town and all of its inhabitants. Now some of you might say, well where's the army? How the fucking hell should I know! That's basically saying the same thing as in the Pokemon movies when some crack job tries to take over the world and some 12 year old kid has to save the day with his shitty pokemon, where's the army dammit!… Lol, but yeah, Malak is the supreme force and there aren't many who could stand up to him, let alone stop him. So, I will be taking a short break from writing and shall be back very shortly with chapter 21! I'll see you all in a little bit and make sure to review! Oh, and if you forgot, you still owe me Park Place Retsukuuza!


	21. Part 3 Prologue: Deepened Judgement

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 21: ****Part 3 Prologue: Deepened Judgement**

**Author's Notes: **Hey guys! I'm back! *Punches air* So a couple of matters I must attend to first. Retsuukuza, I believe you now owe me Boardwalk as well! GL and HF means Good Luck and Have Fun. Might as well just hand over the whole god damn Monopoly board, you cannot fool me! Okay, sorry bout that. Now in this part, major changes. Kain and Mytka are no longer young pups. They both have a completely different personality, so no whining if you don't like it, I'm not changing it. I'm not going into detail now, I'll just let you find out for yourself. I'll just say that they're nothing like they were. If you have any questions about them, I'd be happy to answer them as best as I can. Now, I still own Alex, Karyme, Jade, Kain, Mytka, Malak, Drake, Luna, and Ryo. Wolvesatyourdoor owns Black Fang (he's going to be a regular character from now on) I hope you enjoy part 3! Buckle up and get ready for a ride! Keep your hands and legs inside…*drones on and on*…

**Recap:** Ryo joins the group, Malak captures Sandgem Town and kidnaps Dawn.

A lot of things change with time. Most of these things, we cannot alter in any way. The only bad thing thought is that most of it is irreversible. New life is born and the old die away, different leaders come into power, surrounding landscapes change, new friendships are made or old friendships are broken. But the thing that really changes with the passing of time is people and pokemon alike. This is why the future is a mystery for most. None of us know what will happen to us next or how we will change. But that's also what turns it around and makes life a rush, enjoyable to live each new day.

It was nearly midnight out in the forest surrounding Vilestone City. The city itself was dead and unmoving, most of the humans dead, killed by Malak's pack or run out of their very homes. The few humans that still did inhabit the city were treated as if they were common rats. They were forced to live on the streets and scavenge for food, the pokemon saying something about how now the humans will know what it was like for the pokemon. They were kicked around, attacked and beaten mercilessly and the females were often taken advantage of especially if she was alone and she met a group of males in a dark alley.

But this wasn't only happening in Vilestone City. Five months ago it started with Sandgem Town and spread all over Sinnoh. Malak now controlled every city and town except for one. Hearthome City. This is where the last remaining humans and pokemon that were free gathered to create a group known as the Sinnoh Resistance. Malak had tried numerous times to stamp out the rebels, but he could never win. The newly constructed walls around the city were too high and the humans had thrown away all dignity and resorted to fighting with rifles and machineguns. Furious, Malak retreated to Mt. Coronet where he now resides. But he hasn't given up. He was building up an army to assault Hearthome. Malak controlled nearly eighty-five percent off all the pokemon in Sinnoh, either because they were scared of being killed, wanted protection from him,, or just thought his way was the right and just way. His members totaled over a thousand and was growing each day as more pokemon either surrendered to him or signed up with honor. The Resistance didn't know what to do. They knew he was building up an army, but they also knew that for every pokemon they killed, another two would take its place. They hardly trusted anyone anymore, whether they were pokemon or humans because Malak had sent a lot of spies, only a few returning alive. If only Malak knew of the Resistance's fear, he would strike without hesitation. The Resistance wouldn't be able to fight them all if that happened, they would lose. What they needed to do is kill Malak himself and that would cut his numbers at least by half. The remaining members of his pack would still probably fight if their leader fell in honor of him, even if they all would die. The other half would scatter, finally free from his clutches. Now all they needed was someone to accomplish this task. Someone incredibly brave, stupid or lucky either way to do it…

**Kain**

A tent was marooned out in the sea of trees that was the forest around Vilestone City. A Houndour slinked out through the flap and quickly made his way over to the other side of the campsite. Kain looked around behind him as he disappeared off into the trees to make sure nobody noticed him leave. He made his way faster through the trees. He knew he was far enough away so that he would not be heard. Kain was pissed at Alex and Karyme. They got mad at him for being ten minutes late back home this afternoon. He hated how they try to put regulations on him and tell him what to do. Now that he was older he didn't want to be treated like he was three months old. What's worse is that they had asked Mytka to keep an eye on him when they couldn't… like now for example. Kain continued his quick trot through the forest to his friend's hideout. Kain grew a lot over the past few months. His height and weight nearly doubled and he was much stronger at fighting now. He knew a lot of attacks including Ember, Smog, Quick Attack, Faint Attack and Bite. Kain was proud of himself that he could hold his own fights now. He was even strong enough that he didn't have to take orders from anyone anymore. He believed in his life being his and to live it just as he planned to… his way.

Kain kept on walking deeper and deeper into the forest. He was nearly there when he heard someone approaching. A Lucario stepped out and blocked his path.

"Kain, I promised your parents I wouldn't let you wander off this late anymore," she said.

"Awww, come on Mytka. It's not like I'm going out to cause trouble or anything."

"Yes, but it's not going to you causing trouble. That one friend of yours, what's her name? Persia? She's a bad influence on you, she'll talk you into doing things that are wrong. Please just come back to the tent with me tonight, I don't want to have to be the mean pokemon."

"Half an hour Mytka. I promise half an hour is all I'll need. It's not like I'm going to stay there all night. I'll be back to the tent real soon." Mytka sighed and rubbed her forehead with her paw.

"Half an hour Kain, that's all I can cover up for you." Kain smiled as Mytka stood up. "I'll see you back at the tent, don't be late this time." With that she took off into the forest, back towards the camp. Kain turned the opposite way and walked off deeper into the darkened trees. Kain couldn't help but think about Mytka as he walked. He always had affection for her ever since he was little, but just recently his small affection grew and now he found himself thinking of both of them together as mates. He dreamt of her sometimes, whispered her name to himself when he was alone. He just loved it whenever she made any kind of contact with him. Her fur was longer than his and very soft, compared to his short and thin fur. He longed to be more than just friends with her. He just kept thinking about what Drake, Luna and his parents would say about it. It's not like they're related at all, but it would still be pretty awkward. Kain sighed and picked up his pace a little more. He didn't get much farther until he heard something moving through the trees again.

"I know Mytka," Kain called out. "Half an hour, you don't have to check up on me." A heavy paw stepped out of the shadows followed by the torso and head of a Luxray. He revealed the rest of his body, ending in his strong hind legs. Kain gasped and took a step back. The Luxray grinned slyly and advanced on Kain. Despite it being dark, Kain could see nearly every muscle in the Luxray's powerful legs, tensing and relaxing with every step he took. The Luxray's lips were pulled back slightly and Kain could see the tips of his razor sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. His yellow pupils were staring down Kain, freezing him in place.

"Hello Kain," he said.

"Woah buddy, back off. How do you know my name?"

"I have been monitoring you for a while now. I want to offer you a deal, one you would be a fool to refuse." Kain slowly backed up.

"I don't even know who you are though."

"My name is Raleigh and I have here to speak on Master Malak's behalf." Kain growled at the Luxray.

"Malak. That bastards nearly killed my parents and friends many times, why should I trust you? My parents would rip you to shreds in seconds if they knew you were allied with Malak." Raleigh sighed comically from the apparent threat.

"Ah yes, considering your parents. They don't seem to lend you much freedom to do what you wish now, do they?" Kain's frown disappeared.

"How did you know that?" Kain asked warily.

"Like I said, I've been watching." Raleigh sat down on the ground. "Don't you just hate it when your parents put restraints on you? I know I would. I would be furious with them." Kain looked at the ground as Raleigh said this.

"They don't let me do a lot of things I want to do at all." Raleigh smiled a smile that Kain could not see.

"Come Kain, come sit. Tell me more about your parents." Kain looked up at the Luxray, sizing him up. He carefully walked over to Raleigh, sitting down in front of him. "Now, tell me, do they allow you to play with your friends at all?"

"Yeah they do. But it's only for one or two hours a day and it can only be during daylight."

"Hmm, I see. Then why are you out here so late? Surely your parents wouldn't allow it."

"I snuck off. I know they're just trying to protect me, but I think that sometimes they should just… let go." Raleigh nodded.

"Or you know. Maybe you're the one who should let go of them." Kain's face twisted into a confused expression. He twisted his head around to look up at Raleigh. Raleigh was smiling down at Kain. His face became serious again as he spoke.

"Tell me, have you ever thought about what it would be like if you could do whatever you want whenever you feel like it? If you could have no boundaries placed around you? If you could be free and not have anyone holding you back?" Kain paused, thinking.

"What are you saying Raleigh?"

"My friend, this is what I'm saying. I would be able to give you all of that and more. Join Master Malak. He is the one who stands for freedom after all. I have been observing and from what I've seen from you, you would be someone admired by Malak. You have the right attitude towards other pokemon and you aren't afraid of expressing your opinions if you must. You would be waited on head to paw. You wouldn't need to worry about anything at all ever again. All of your wishes and dreams would be fulfilled. You could go wherever you please whenever you please and do whatever you feel like doing. Nobody will be angry with you for not being back on time ever again. If you do as Master Malak says, he will be most pleased with you and you will gain more respect within the pack. This means you could tell pokemon beneath you what to do and they must obey you or face the consequences. Just think of the freedom, the possibilities, the greatness you could achieve. It is definitely the best thing you could ever do. I promise you won't regret it." Kain lowered his head again, thinking.

"I could really do all of that?" Kain asked looking back up at Raleigh's face. A triumphant smile flashed across the Luxray's face.

"All of that… and more." Kain stared up at Raleigh bemused. Never before had Kain thought about what the possibility of complete freedom would be like. The only life he knew was the boundary strewn one he was living. But now that this new opportunity was presented to him, he thought it was the best possible life he could ever have. He thought that he was old enough to look after himself. Nobody had to worry or fret over him anymore. And if he ever had any trouble, he could just ask Raleigh. To Kain, he seemed like a pretty cool guy. Suddenly, Raleigh stood up and looked closely into the dense forest behind Kain. Kain curiously turned around to look too.

"Well, it seems we have some uninvited company," Raleigh sneered. Kain heard the sound of paws approaching and a second later Black Fang burst forth from the bushes. He looked around at Kain and Raleigh, his eyes widening when he saw the Luxray standing next to Kain.

"Ah, little brother, so nice to see you again," Raleigh said to Black Fang. Black Fang growled.

"Raleigh…" Black Fang said angrily.

"Is Raleigh your brother, Black Fang?" Kain asked.

"Unfortunately he is Kain."

"Awww, you two are friends. Isn't that cute?" Raleigh said smirking.

"What do you want Raleigh?" Black Fang asked, sounding as if he didn't want to know the answer.

"You mean I have to have a reason just to come see my long lost brother?"

"Just stop it Raleigh, I know you're lying."

"Ah, You're right. Why would anyone want to associate with a piece of trash like you? Maybe you should have been more like me. I obeyed Master Malak and look where it has gotten me. You on the other hand defied him numerous times and look at the outcome," Raleigh said indicating the scars that ran along his body and the small tufts of fur that were missing. "And if it weren't for you, I would still have a mother So it would've been great if you were never born at all." Black Fang snarled and took a step towards him.

"You and I both know it was not my fault! Father killed her before I've even hatched!" Raleigh smirked at Black Fang again.

"Murderer."

"Get out of here!" Black Fang yelled.

"Well, I think maybe I will actually. I wouldn't want to see you soil yourself from your adorable little rage fit you're having at the moment. Remember Kain, infinite freedom." With that, Raleigh turned and headed back into the forest. Kain walked over to Black Fang who was still shaking slightly after yelling at his brother.

"You all right Black Fang?"

"Kain, do you have any idea who you were speaking to?"

"Yeah, your bro right?"

"No I meant, do you know what he does, who he works for?"

"That one Malak guy right?" Black Fang lay down on the soft grass and rested his head on his paws.

"He doesn't just work for Malak, he's known for being one of Malak's most brutal generals. He's deceitful and cunning. Anything he tells you is probably a lie." Black Fang turned his head and looked up at Kain. "What did he tell you exactly?"

"Well, he just told me a bunch of stuff about how great I'd be if I joined Malak and all of the freedom I would have. Sounded like a pretty sweet deal to me though, don't know why you think he's bad." Black Fang's eyes widened.

"Kain that's the same trick he pulls with everyone! None of it's true." Kain frowned in disbelief.

"You sure?"

"I know it Kain, I've seen him lure in so many to join Malak. Most of them die within the first week. Some of them he tells that they have the right attitude or something… They really are the only ones that survive if only barely. Trust me, it's nothing like he's making it sound like." Kain nodded.

"All right, I believe you Black Fang." Kain helped Black Fang to his feet. "Come on, my parents will be pissed if they find me out this late."

Kain and Black Fang walked back through the forest Black Fang still listing off all of the horrible things that happens in Malak's pack. Kain grunted and nodded his head occasionally to let Black Fang know he was still listening, but he was only barely paying attention. His mind was still reeling from all of the things Raleigh was saying. All of that freedom… No restrictions at all. Kain wasn't worried about all of the horrible things Black Fang was talking about. He thought he was strong enough to deal with anything they would throw at him.

They finally reached the tent and Black Fang said goodbye to Kain. Mytka heard Kain approaching and stuck her head out of the tent. She ushered him inside quickly and quietly.

"Told you I'd be back in half an hour," Kain whispered with a smug smile planted on his face. Mytka kneeled down and slowly smoothed out the fur on Kain's back. Kain's smile changed into a blissful one. He loved it whenever Mytka made contact with him. Mytka however looked serious.

"Kain. I need you to be honest with me okay?"

"Umm, sure," Kain replied. "What about?"

"Did anyone confront you in the forest at all? I thought I might have heard someone moving in the trees as I walked back here." Kain thought to himself. Raleigh, she heard him. He couldn't tell her he met some random pokemon in the forest and was trying to recruit him to Malak's pack. She'd tell his parents for sure if it involved Malak which would lead to more trouble for Kain. Besides, like Kain thought before, he didn't need help from anyone, he was fine on his own after all.

"No, there wasn't anyone else. You probably heard Black Fang or something. He came to talk to me." Mytka frowned.

"All right Kain. But you know the only reason I'm doing this is-"

"I know, because you're worried about my safety," Kain finished for her. "I know Mytka, and really I don't want you to worry at all. I'm old enough to handle myself."

"Okay Kain. We'll talk in the morning, I'm tired," Mytka said, trying to stifle a yawn. "Come on, we'll share my blanket. I think my dad took two again." Mytka rolled her eyes, looking over at the biggest silhouette in the tent which was Drake. Mytka lay down and pulled the blanket over herself, holding it up so Kain could crawl underneath. Kain slid under the blanket and pressed himself up against Mytka, curling up. His head barely protruded from the head of the blanket. Mytka couldn't see the smile on his face.

"Night Mytka," Kain said.

"Goodnight Kain," Mytka said sleepily.

It was really too bad that Kain didn't realize the situation Sinnoh was really in. Every step anyone made was a risk. There were other pokemon laying down to sleep just as Kain and Mytka were, but they were all sleeping with one eye open in any case. Night was a dangerous time fro them and Malak's thugs were relentless. Laws no longer applied, unless you were of course talking about Malak's. In times like this pokemon band together to maximize their chances of survival. But Kain wanted the exact opposite. He wanted to break away from everyone and anything holding him back, and be on his own for once. He didn't want help with anything even though he needed it. In this new world, there is no me, no freedom what so ever. But Kain doesn't realize this. Soon he'll figure out he'll need help, but it could be too late to turn back. Soon he'll figure out he's much more alone than he expected…

**End Notes:** Well, there you have it. I'm sorry about the extra long break I took, I only expected it to be a month at the most, but turns out it was double that. School has started again for me, but at least now I'm a senior! I'll be updating more often, but not as often as usual. You see… I have lost my soul… I'm sorry to say it, but it was a most unfortunate event that happened. See, my friends forced me to play this one game called "World of Warcraft" and I vowed to myself to never play it again after I played it over a year and a half ago. But something… something reached out from that game and snatched my soul away. Now I am a zombie that sits in my room all day and plays World of Warcraft. So, if anyone could completely hack into WoW's servers and plant a virus in it that kills everything, it would be most appreciated by me and you will see quicker updates too! Well, off that subject now. Please drop in a review and let me know what you think about anything that happened this chapter, especially what you think about Mytka and Kain, their personalities, and the thought of them being together. Hope to hear from everyone!

S.A.N. Everyone who reads my story, please visit my profile before you close the window. (or I hope after you review XD) I have a certain question there about myself being able to give all of my readers regular updates on the next chapter and what is going on with my writing. Then after you read it, please post on my poll, I need as much feedback as possible.


	22. Crossroads

**Karyme: The Perfect Love  
**

**  
Chapter 22:**** Crossroads**

**Author's Notes:** Hey, back once again with another update! This one took me a bit longer to write than usual because I had to will myself to focus and write it out. I know, scary huh? I will NEVER stop writing this story however, I'm going to see it through to the end so no need to worry! This chapter you will all meet Kain's friends! They're a fun group I assure you. So my usual saying, I own Karyme, Alex, Kain, Mytka, Luna, Drake, Malak, Ryo, and Jade. Enjoy the next installment!

**Recap: **Malak takes complete control over Sinnoh, Kain meets Raleigh in the forest, Black Fang doesn't trust Raleigh at all.

The sun was already high in the sky the next morning and everyone was sitting around the fire enjoying their breakfast, the only exception being Kain, who was still asleep. Karyme was curled up next to me resting her head in my lap. She raised her head to look up at me.

"He's been sleeping a long time now. Do you think we should get him up?" Karyme asked. I popped some more of the bite size berries we were eating for breakfast into my mouth.

"Nah just let him sleep for now. He'll wake up soon," Karyme frowned slightly.

"Do you think he snuck out last night while we were sleeping?" I ceased my chewing to mull over the new possibility. I chanced a quick peek over at Mytka. She had her head bent over her plate and was avoiding eye contact with anyone.

"No I don't think so." _Mytka was after all the one in charge of keeping an eye on him. She probably had the best senses out of all of us, so she would have heard anything at all last night. She was also very honest and responsible so she would have let us know first thing if he had left. _

I heard something move in the tent behind me. _Well at least this time he got up sometime before noon._ Kain pushed past the small tent flap walking over towards us. He slumped down onto the ground in front of his breakfast and started eating. Karyme looked up at me and I smiled back down at her.

"Well there he is," I said cheerily. "Good morning Kain." Kain didn't even acknowledge that I had said anything. "Good morning Kain," I said again, adding a bit more tone to my voice.

"What?" Kain snapped back at me. "What do you want now?"

"I can't even say good morning to my son anymore?"

"No sorry, you can't." I didn't feel like getting into an argument with him this early already, so I merely shrugged.

We continued eating our breakfast, Drake, Luna, Karyme, Ryo and I talking. Kain and Mytka ate in silence, Mytka glancing over at the four of us, listening to our conversation. Kain tuned everyone out. Once Kain was done, he stood up walking off towards the forest.

"Hold on," Karyme called out. "Where are you going?"

"Same place as always! Geez, you guys are so annoying," Kain said just before disappearing into the trees. Karyme made to get up and go after him, but I held her.

"No, just let him go for now. Best not to make him any angrier with us." Karyme leaned up and licked my cheek.

"You're right Alex. I just worry about him too much, that's all." I gave her an encouraging smile. I looked around at the others. Mytka was looking over at us, after just watching Kain storm off. She gave us a guilty smile and looked down at her plate again.

**Kain**

Kain stalked through the forest angrily. He was headed towards his friend's hideout. There were five of them including Black Fang. All of them were hiding from Malak's thugs, but they all had different reasons for doing so. They followed Alex and his companions around and moved with him if Alex thought the surrounding area wasn't safe to remain there anymore. Alex of course wasn't aware of this as he probably wouldn't allow anyone following him. Kain also wasn't aware that one of the main reasons they stuck with them was because Alex was their best chance for survival. Kain eventually reached the hideout. It looked just like any other spot of the forest and the entrance was nearly impossible to detect unless you knew it was there. Kain glanced around himself to make sure nobody was watching him. He quickly leapt up on top of a large boulder leaning up against a rather large tree. The part of the boulder that was touching the trunk was rounded out into a half circle, the tree having another half circle to make a small hole about a foot across. Kain slipped down through the opening and emerged in a dimly lit room. It was the hollowed out trunk of the tree. The top of the tree was filled with holes that let some sunlight in during the day and the smoke from the fire they lit at night out. If it happened to be raining, there was a sort of "basement" if you would call it, to keep them sheltered.

"Kain, how are you?" a Glaceon said from across the room. Her name was Diana. She smiled brightly at Kain. Diana's a very outgoing girl. She loved to chat and meet new people. You could go to her with any problem and she would help you in any way she could. She was very motherly, especially to Kain because in her eyes he seemed to be sort of… misguided in a way. She was the mate of the Umbreon lying next to her with his head buried in her neck fur. She calms him whenever he gets angry, which could lead to catastrophic results if she didn't. There is something different about him for sure. He is the victim of an unauthorized experiment a few years back to mix his genes with a rather vampiric Golbat. The cruel experiment turned his golden rings to a deep maroon color and wings sprouted from his shoulder blades. His incisor teeth had lengthened and were now designed for sucking blood from his victims. Really, to put it short, he was a vampire Umbreon.

"Hey Kumori," Kain said in Kumori's direction as he passed. Kumori raised his head slightly and glanced at Kain with one of his blood red eyes.

"Kain," he said shortly nodding once towards him before gently laying his head back down into Diana's soft fur. Kain kept walking around the small pit that they dug out for the fire each night. A few charred pieces of wood were still in the bottom of the pit from last night's fire. Kain reached his usual spot he sat in whenever he came to visit. However there was a Persian lounging in his spot, currently in a relaxed sleep. Kain sighed. Persia, what was the best way to describe her? Well, she was the one out of all of them that was probably the most vulgar and open about her likes and dislikes. She loves sex, period. She could be called as something of a slut, but really she was only interested in Kain and no one else at the moment. Kain knew not to piss her off because he might see the end of her claws, even though she had affection for him. Kain looked down at her angrily.

"Persia," Kain said just above a whisper. She didn't move a muscle. "Persia," he said louder. Persia groaned and shifted slightly. "Persia!" Kain nearly yelled, smacking her shoulder with his paw.

"What?" Persia said groggily. "What are you guys doing waking me up this early? You know better than to-," she stopped as she rolled over and saw Kain, her face instantly lighting up.

"Oh it's you Kain," she said with a smile. "Well good morning there hon," she said softly rubbing a paw along Kain's side.

"Yeah, whatever. You do know where you're lying right?"

"Umm…," she said yawning widely. "The ground?"

"My spot. Mind moving?" Kain said roughly, inclining that as a statement, not a question.

"Oh I guess it is," Persia said looking around her. "Well, I think there's room for the two of us to snuggle right here." She rolled onto her side as she said this and spread her hind legs, running a paw up and down the fur on her stomach smoothly. Kain took a small step back, turning around.

"Ugh. Never mind." Persia looked put out as Kain walked away.

"Why even bother waking me up?" Persia mumbled under her breath. "I'm not gonna move my ass." With that she rolled back over and tried to go back to sleep.

Kain walked over to Black Fang and lay down next to him. Black Fang was rolled over onto his back staring up at the small rays of sun peeking in through the ceiling.

"Hey Black Fang," Kain said.

"Hey Kain," he responded distantly. Kain stared at Black Fang as he continued to gaze upwards.

"So… What are you doing?" Kain asked.

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"The possibilities."

"Mind giving me an explanation that's more than two words?" Black Fang turned his head and looked sideways at Kain.

"I'm thinking about the possible reasons why Raleigh showed himself last night."

"And?"

"And there could only be two real reasons," Black Fang said rolling back over onto his stomach and looking at Kain. "One, he actually wants you to join or two, he's trying to lure you in to get closer to Alex and Karyme. But really if he was looking to recruit you, he wouldn't have been so nice. He would probably even kidnap or blackmail you if he really wanted you."

"Huh… Cool." Kain lay down beside Black Fang.

"It's not cool. You aren't even taking this seriously are you?"

"Nope," Kain said, tracing one of his claws through the dirt.

"Kain, you can't just ignore the things happening around you. You're right in the middle of this. Your parents are trying to keep you safe, but you ignore them also. We don't live in the same world we once used to, it's a new order. Hell, there are some pokemon out there who go to sleep at night terrified. Not terrified of the dark. Terrified because they don't know if they'll wake up ever again. Do you know what that's like Kain?" Kain was still lying on the ground, playing with a couple of dry leaves in front of him. He shot a few embers from his mouth and set the leaves on fire. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yup," Kain responded lazily. Black Fang rolled his eyes at Kain. Kain was always stubborn when someone tried to tell him what to do, but Black Fang was his best friend so he was sort of an exception, even if he didn't take his advice. Kain looked up from the smoldering leaves at the others. Diana nuzzled Kumori lovingly and Kumori licked her cheek softly, causing her to giggle. Kain looked back down at the dirt. He was happy for Diana and Kumori, but sometimes he felt a bit… jealous. He wished he could have a love like theirs. The only pokemon he wanted to love though was Mytka. Their parents however probably wouldn't allow it and he didn't even know how she felt at all about him. He really wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but he didn't want her to think he was crazy or weird. Kain sighed exasperatedly.

"Kain? Are you all right?" a voice said from above Kain. A pair of navy blue paws stepped up in front of Kain. Kain looked up into Diana's face.

"Oh hey Diana. No I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Diana asked lying down next to Kain. "You look really down about something."

"No really, I'm okay." Diana smiled.

"All right Kain. I just wanted to let you know that today all of us were going to hunt for food and gather some more berries. Kumori has also been getting pretty 'hungry' too." Kain glanced over at Kumori as she said this. He was lying down with his head resting on his paws, his ears folded back over his head. He was staring off into space, his eyes fixed and unmoving. The corners of his mouth twitched occasionally. It looked like he was in pain. "We'll be leaving soon and I wanted to ask if you'd like to come along." Kain shrugged.

"It'll be better than sitting here by myself or going back to my parents." Diana frowned slightly at Kain's last comment.

About an hour later the whole group was moving silently through the forest. Even Persia was wide awake at the thought of fresh prey after having to eat meat that had been dead for four days the past week. They moved through the dense shade to keep hidden and to keep Kumori out of the sun. Because of his vampiric state, he couldn't be in direct sunlight without it hurting him. Kumori did carry around a cloak with him that he wrapped around his body to protect himself, but they stayed in the shade just to be safe.

Once we reached a nice shaded area of the forest, we stopped and rested.

"I'm going to collect some berries," Diana said. "Who wants to go with me?" Diana looked around, but nobody volunteered. They all wanted to get out there and actually hunt.

"I'll go with you," Kumori said standing up. Diana smiled warmly at him.

"We'll meet you back at the hideout about mid afternoon?"

"Sounds good," Black Fang said. Everyone said goodbye and walked their separate ways. Kain, Black Fang and Persia walked deeper into the forest to find a good spot to hunt. Black Fang stopped and announced that this was good enough. Persia slinked off silently into the forest, her eyes aglow with excitement. Kain shivered. He'd hate to be on the wrong side of her teeth and claws, especially on one of her bad days.

"I'm going to see if I can run a pokemon back here Kain, then you have to cut it off," Black Fang said.

"All right," Kain replied. "I'll wait here for you." Black Fang trotted off into the cover of the trees. Kain had nothing to do but wait. He tried pacing, just sitting, or rolling onto his back and thinking. Kain jumped when he heard a bloodthirsty roar all of a sudden. A couple of yards away, a Raticate was running from Persia. The Raticate lost its footing and fell to the ground. With another roar, Persia pounced and sank her fangs into it. The Raticate struggled and tried to get back up, but Persia's weight on top of it held it down. It's struggling slowed and eventually stopped. It fell limp, its eyes still open, staring blankly. Kain rolled his eyes and continued to wait for Black Fang. Cats and their stupid rodents, Kain thought.

Kain's ears swiveled around as he heard someone distantly shout his name. It was Black Fang. Kain heard them coming from the same way Black Fang left. Luckily for Kain, there was a large fallen limb that he could hide behind to get a good jump on Black Fang's prey. Kain ran over and crouched down behind the log getting ready to attack. He listened hard to hear the pokemon's footfalls. They were getting louder and louder. Kain heard its paws hit the log and saw it leap over it. It was pure white, with gray streaks running along its sides and down its back. A Linoone. Kain snarled and leaped up, grabbing its flank with his sharp little teeth. The momentum from Kain's attack and the Linoone's leap sent them both spinning through the air until they both hit the ground with a thud. Persia watched with sheer lust for Kain's aggressiveness. She licked her lips relishing from Kain's fangs dripping with the Linoone's blood. They both got up and the Linoone tried to kick Kain off and run away, but Kain dug his claws into its back and yanked it back towards him. Kain sunk his teeth into its neck as far as they would go. The Linoone cried out and struggled to kick Kain off. His struggling slowly ceased as it died. Once it was dead Kain raised his head and howled loudly on pure instinct. Blood dripped from his muzzle and ran down his neck fur. Black Fang jumped over the fallen log and joined Kain.

"Nice catch Kain," Black Fang said enthusiastically.

"Thanks dude, great find." Persia brought her kill over to join Kain and Black Fang. The three ate their fill and took what they couldn't eat back to their hideout. Diana and Kumori were already there waiting for them. Kain hung around with them for a little while longer before he decided to head back. The sun was setting already. Usually he would hear and see pokemon scrambling back to their nests before nightfall, but with Malak's goons patrolling the forest, most of them just stayed inside their shelter for the whole day scavenging for food hurriedly and scampering back to their nests. Kain thought about what he would do with the evening before he had to head back. He thought about just hanging out with Mytka for the rest of the day.

When Kain reached the tent he found Luna sitting by herself next to the fire. Kain made his way over to her. Luna looked up hearing footsteps.

"Oh, it's you Kain. How was your day with your friends?"

"Hi Luna. Yeah we had fun. We hunted for… berries." Kain hesitated on the word "prey." He knew that she didn't approve of killing other pokemon, especially in a time like this. She thought every life was precious and everyone should band together to survive. Kain didn't blame her, pokemon were scared for their lives and would do anything to be spared. However Kain believed that life was life and that's it. You have to deal with whatever it throws at you, period. "So anyways, where did everyone go?" Kain asked.

"Oh, your mother, father, Ryo and Drake left a short while ago to gather some extra supplies and scout out the area. You know how your father loves to be secure with everything. He just wants to make sure no one is sneaking up on us." Kain nodded in agreement.

"What about Mytka? She didn't go with them, did she?"

"Mytka went down to the stream a couple of minutes ago," Luna said, turning her attention back to the fire, tossing another log on top of the smoldering pile. "She said she needed a bath." Kain's mind flashed a brief image of Mytka standing in a stream, dripping with water, her paws scrubbing the top of her head, her head tilted backwards. Small droplets of water dripping off of her muzzle falling down and splashing into the water below. Kain snapped back into reality as Luna spoke again.

"If I were you, I'd go get a bath too. I know how your mother doesn't like it when your fur is dirty," Luna said indicating the dirt on Kain's fur from rolling around on the ground with the Linoone. Luckily she didn't see the blood on Kain's neck fur. Kain agreed with Luna, but he didn't give a damn about what his mother didn't like about him. He just hated being dirty around her because then she'd take his hygiene into her own hands, trapping him with her paws and licking him clean.

"Yeah, I was just wrestling around with my friends today, that's all. I'll head on down to the stream now then and get cleaned up." Luna gave Kain a quick hug.

"Be careful now." Kain nodded and headed off in the direction of the stream. "And let Mytka know she needs to be home soon to help me with supper!" Luna called after him. Kain hurried through the trees to get to the stream. He still couldn't get his mind off of the brief image he had of Mytka earlier. Kain's pace slowed as he heard the rush of water running downstream. Kain wanted to sneak up on her. He might be able to watch her for a little while without being interrupted. Whenever he would try to glance at her, she would notice and ask what was up. He just wanted to drink in her beauty. Kain inched forward towards the edge of the tree line. Through a small gap in the underbrush, he could make out Mytka in the water on the opposite bank. She was rubbing her fur up and down, dipping her paw in the water every now and then to re-wet her paw, and then she would continue. Kain gazed at her intently. Even though her fur was matted down with water, she was still as beautiful as ever in Kain's eyes. He could at least now see the fine curves of her body. Kain edged a bit closer in anticipation.

A yellow paw stepped out from the brush behind Kain, followed by a torso and a head. The creature saw Kain crouched down near the tree line. It grinned slyly and emerged fully from its hiding place. Slowly and quietly it creeped up behind Kain, lowering its head down behind Kain's neck and baring its teeth.

"Cute, isn't she?" the creature said. Kain jumped a mile and fell onto his back, doing all he could to keep from yelling. He quickly scrambled to his feet and faced his foe. Kain's assailant turned out to be a rather small Pikachu with a smirk on his face. "Hi, there," he said in a sneaky voice.

"Who are you?" Kain asked, trying to keep his heart from leaping out of his chest.

"My name's Gus, pleased to meet cha'," the Pikachu replied in the sneaky voice again.

"What do you want?" Gus's smirk only widened.

"Maybe I should be askin' you the same question. What cha' doin' in my territory?"

"Just… taking a stroll, passing through." Kain didn't know why, but this Pikachu unnerved him. Kain's voice was a little jittery.

"Don't lie to me boy."

"I'm not lying."

"I know what you're thinking. Here comes Gus, he's a weird little Pikachu. You can't be like that, you don't know me, you don't know what I can do. I've got something to show you," the Pikachu said advancing slowly on Kain. This struck a nerve with Kain. He wanted to keep his distance from him and he was stepping into his personal space. Kain planted his forepaws and bared his teeth angrily.

"Look buddy stay back. I don't care what you have to show me, just stay away!" Kain heard a splash from the stream on the other side of the brush.

"I thought I asked you nicely enough the first time to please leave me alone Gus," Mytka said from the stream. Gus rounded on Kain angrily.

"Great, now look at what you've done!" Gus hissed quietly at Kain. "You've gone and upset the poor girl!" Kain bared his teeth once more and took a heavy step towards Gus.

"Me? You're the one she's obviously pissed at!" Kain hissed just as quietly back. The both of them could hear Mytka sloshing through the small stream towards them. Since Kain had jumped when Gus scared him, he was hidden in the shadows. Mytka could only see Gus as she approached.

"Hello again Gus. Do you mind?" Mytka asked politely. "I am trying to have some privacy here." Gus smirked at Mytka.

"Sure baby, take all the time you need. I'll hit yuh up later, then we can have our date." Gus winked at Mytka as he turned around and walked back into the cover of the trees. Mytka sighed heavily and turned around also, walking back into the stream to finish her bath. Kain hurried silently to the opening in the brush where he could see Mytka. Kain gaped at Mytka as her hips swayed back and forth from her walking. Kain leaned in closer taking a small step forward. Kain's paw came down on the smallest of twigs, snapping it in two. Even though the twig was small, the crack seemed to echo as loud as if a gun went off. Mytka's ears twitched and she stopped. Slowly she swiveled around to face the small opening again, but Kain was already gone from sight. Mytka rolled her eyes.

"You're starting to get on my nerves Gus," Mytka said walking back, all politeness gone from her voice. She bent down and peered into the brush, looking for Gus. Kain was planning on surprising Mytka. He had already made his way around Mytka and stood behind her. She was still looking into the bushes for the Gus that wasn't there. Kain bent his knees and sprang at Mytka, trying to tackle her playfully. As if it were a reflex, Mytka spun around instantly and brought her paw swinging down heavily. It smashed into Kain's forehead. Kain grunted as Mytka's Karate Chop collided with his skull. Kain flew backwards, splashing into the stream. Kain's lifeless form sank under the soft current of water. Mytka gasped audibly and rushed into the water to retrieve Kain's limp form the water. Her face stricken with horror, Mytka lifted Kain up into her arms.

"Oh my gosh! Kain! Kain! Are you all right? Say something Kain!" Kain remained motionless. Mytka lowered her ear to Kain's mouth to try and listen for a breath. She still heard Kain's lungs sucking in air and felt his warm breath as he exhaled. Mytka exhaled along with him, realizing he was still breathing.

"Kain…," she said as she held him tighter in her arms. She walked with him back to the stream bank and sat down in the shallow water. "…Kain, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that on purpose. You startled me and I reacted" Mytka gazed down at Kain. She held him close to her chest and stroked his soft furry head, playing with his small pointy ears. Many different deductions ran through her head. What if she had broken something? What if Kain was hurt really bad? What if he won't wake up at all? The weight of it all crashed down on Mytka and she was filled with dread. She slowly stroked Kain's fur again.

She sat there for what felt like ages, the water trickling around her as she sat in the stream. She was at least filled with some comfort that he was still breathing, if only a little. Nearly thirty minutes passed that Mytka was cradling Kain in her arms, before Kain's eyes slowly opened. Mytka was still holding Kain close to her chest and did not realize this. Kain gritted his teeth in pain. His head was throbbing where Mytka had struck it. The first thing he realized was that he was soaking wet and his body was pressed up against something damp. He figured out that his face was pressed against Mytka's chest. Her fur was still wet from her bath and was matted down, showing the curves of her torso. Kain blushed as he saw one of her nipples slightly poking through her matted down fur. No matter how much Kain wanted and loved to be this close to Mytka, he couldn't hold back anymore. He could already feel his semi-erection threatening to burst from his sheath. Kain shifted one of his paws to try and get free from Mytka's grasp. Kain heard Mytka's sharp intake of breath and saw her head spin around to look down at him an instant later. Kain's head still pressed up against her chest, swiveled around to look up at her. Mytka's eyes lit up.

"Oh my gosh, Kain! Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Mytka asked. Kain gritted his teeth again and grunted as his head throbbed.

"Not so loud Mytka. I have a splitting headache."

"I'm sorry Kain," Mytka whispered. "I never meant to attack you at all. It was just a reflex."

"Don't worry Mytka," Kain grunted, his head giving a rather large throb. "I won't take it personally." Kain raised one of his paws to his forehead, feeling for a bump. "Ouch!" Kain exclaimed as his paw came in contact with his head.

"Oh, don't touch Kain." Mytka said rubbing his back soothingly. "We'll get you back to your parents and let them take care of it." Mytka stood up with Kain still in her arms and walked through the shallow stream heading back up the bank. As Mytka followed the path back to the tent, Kain continually huffed that his legs worked perfectly fine. Mytka would just smile weakly down at him and keep walking. Kain gently swayed back and forth with Mytka's steps. He was absent minded, letting the world flow around him with ease. He listened to the birds chirping, the wind rustling the leaves on the trees and the soft crunches with each of Mytka's footsteps as she stepped on a twig or a dead leaf. Mytka on the other hand was nervous about returning. She wondered what their parents would think of her. Letting something like this happen when she was the one supposed to be protecting him, not to mention it was her who had struck him too. Would they be ashamed of her? Disappointed? Would they think they couldn't trust her anymore? Nevertheless, they both reached the camp whether they wanted to or not.

"It's only me!" Mytka called out before she emerged from the trees. Alex had asked all of them to announce their arrival, so that they knew it wasn't some intruder. Mytka stepped into the small clearing and approached the five adults sitting around the fire. Alex slipped his knife back into its scabbard, which he had drawn upon hearing Mytka's footsteps. Mytka set down Kain lightly who instantly walked towards the tent. Mytka embraced her mother lightly as a greeting before sitting down next to her.

"Welcome back sweetie," Luna said to Mytka. "Any problems?"

"Well actually, Kain did uh… have a little accident." Alex and Drake were having a low conversation, but stopped, hearing the news, turning their heads towards Mytka. Ryo was leaning against a tree with his arms folded across his chest and head bent down, but he raised his head also looking over at Mytka. Karyme picked her head up off of the ground where she was laying. She looked over at Kain and stood up walking over to him. Just before Kain was about to disappear into the tent, Karyme grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"Aww, come on mom. Let me go!" Kain complained, trying to shake free from his mother's grasp. Karyme carried him over to the fire and lay down, wrapping her forepaws around him, as a pup would a toy.

"What happened Mytka?" Luna asked her.

"Well, it's partially my fault too. Kain tried to sneak up on me from behind, I guess as a prank. Well he jumped at me and I heard someone behind me. I didn't know it was Kain and I didn't want to take any chances, so I just… reacted. I hit him over the forehead with one of my Karate Chops and only after did I realize it was him." Everyone looked back and forth a couple of times between Kain with Karyme still holding him and Mytka. "I'm really, really sorry," Mytka added.

"Don't worry Mytka, it wasn't your fault at all," Karyme soothed her. She rounded on Kain. "But you, mister. How could you try and play a joke like that on Mytka. I myself would have had a heart attack!"

"What! I was just kidding around," Kain retorted angrily.

"But it wasn't very nice to begin with and now you have a bump on your head." Karyme pursed her lips in a very mother-like way. "Oh, come here. I'll make it feel better." Karyme began to lick the small bump on Kain's forehead much to his dismay. Kain complained and tried to squirm free from his mother, but she had him in a tight grasp. Kain thought that her licking his wound would hurt because of how much it hurt earlier when he brushed it, but it didn't Actually to him it felt very soothing and relaxing. He felt like closing his eyes and letting his mother continue. But he couldn't, he couldn't let them think he was enjoying it. It would make him look like a weakling. He continued his struggling until eventually she let go of him. Kain jumped from her and strode right past the tent into the forest again.

"Hey! Where're you going?" Alex called out.

"To my real home!" Kain called back. Alex was taken aback by Kain's words. How could he possibly say that? Karyme looked shocked beyond belief. A few silent tears rolled down her cheeks and her breathing became heavier and shallower. Alex stood up in a rage, ready to drag Kain back here if he needed to. He had gone way too far this time. Ryo stood up also and crossed over to Alex, placing a clawed hand on his shoulder. Alex felt all of his anger dissipate from Ryo's touch like hot iron dunked into a barrel of cool water. Alex turned his head and looked at him.

"Alex, I don't wish to imply that you do what I say, but I think maybe Kain should spend tonight with his friends. He probably feels embarrassed with what happened today and he feels comfortable around his friends. He needs some time alone if you ask me."

"I also agree with Ryo," Luna added in. Alex sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"All right then, just for tonight." Ryo nodded in conclusion and removed his hand from Alex's shoulder, sitting back down. Alex lie down next to Karyme and put an arm around her, holding her close. Drake and Luna did the same.

_There they were, two couples. Alex and Karyme, Drake and Luna. Both were mates with each other and both loved each other very much. Both had a healthy pup. Yet, how did Mytka turn out to be an angel and Kain turn out to be such a juvenile? It was, as inevitable as it is, the way things were and they couldn't do a thing about it. The one and only unchangeable force that can alter their future, was time._

**End Notes:** Wow… just wow… I am very very sorry for taking this long to finally get this chapter out. You know, I predicted that once I got back to school my writing would pick up and updates would be quicker, but I guess not. In my defense (yes, that means please hold off on the banana throwing…) this school year has NOT been very kind to me. Senior year = party year right? WRONG! Don't let anybody fool you, it's tough and grueling but somehow the most fun year I've had ever, ironic huh? Also I've been sick a lot, I've had trouble with my job and of course my "love life" just loves to screw me over every now and then. Anyways, details, just details. My point is, I think I may have to update when I can instead of every three weeks like I've been doing. I'm really sorry, but do not remove me from your alert list. Like I've said before, I will not under any circumstances give up writing this story. You will all see it through to the end as long as you bear with me. I also gain a lot from encouragement, so any and all reviews are welcome. I think that is it for me for now, I have a terrible headache and will now retire to my soft bed. Thank you all for reading and goodnight, I hope to hear from all of you tomorrow when I wake up! 


	23. Demons Among Angels

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 23: Demons among Angels**

** Author Notes:** Why hello there! It certainly has been a while, and I am extremely sorry for my quick departure, but I honestly had no time at all to update. With school finals, graduation and then military training, it has put me off for about… 16 months I suppose. But I am however home on leave time, after a tedious 7 months of basic training and tech school. But through all of that I am now an Airman in the U.S. Air Force, hip hip hooray, party at my house later! But everything aside, I am so happy to be back and writing again and I'm glad to see all of you could make it back too! If anything, the long time between last update and this one will certainly show who my true readers are and all will be recognized, that is if you leave a review so I can know who you are! On a side note, I had a list of characters that people had submitted to me ages ago, that were to appear in the story (about as far back as chapter 8 and 9). If you were one of those people and still have not seen your character in the story, I apologize. My last computer crashed and I lost all of my data, so I will need you all to send me your characters, description, etc. again, so I can put them in! For those of you who didn't submit characters to me, I am again taking a FEW character requests, and I will put them in, in order of received combined with how well they fit in the story. Just something for you to ponder while you read. But enough talking! How about that update eh? Wow, I haven't said this in a long time, but here goes: I do not own Pokémon or anything produced by GameFreak or Nintendo, this story is for entertainment purposes only, but I do however own Alex, Karyme, Jade, Luna, Mytka, Drake, Ryo and Malak. Also a BIG shout out to Shadowgear7 and xscarfacex, inspiration to continue writing in those dark times before I left for the Air Force was hard to come by, but those two were there and gave me the strength to continue on! Like a brother on the battlefield pulling you up from the mud to keep on fighting! So sit back and enjoy! …Finally!

**Recap: **Kain's friends are introduced, Kain and friends go hunting, Kain spies on Mytka, Kain storms off back to his friends.

Kain's body toppled through the small opening and into his friend's hideout. It was pitch black inside, save for the few dying coals still in the fire pit. Kain had been walking around for nearly an hour or two outside trying to find the location of the hideout. Landmarks were much harder to see in the dark. As Kain thudded onto the ground, he heard a snarl erupt from the shadows behind him. Kain stood up quickly and spun around just in time to see a set of claws and vicious teeth spring forth from the darkness. Its paws hit him square in the chest. Kain flipped onto his back and his attacker landed on top of him. Kain quickly dodged the canine as it struck for his throat, rolling out from underneath him. Kain whipped his head around and looked briefly at his foe. His fur was black and gray and it was barely visible in the dark, but Kain could have sworn he saw numerous scars running along his body. Kain gasped inaudibly. _Black Fang._

"Bla-," Kain started to say, but Black Fang tackled him, cutting him off. Of course Black Fang couldn't see him, his fur was the deepest shades of black. All he saw was a figure. Kain was forced to squirm out from under Black Fang. He couldn't exactly fight back in risk of hurting his friend. Kain failed once again to stop the fighting as Black Fang attacked him for the third time. This time Kain was determined to get the message across. Black Fang swiped at Kain's face and Kain was barely able to dodge it. A single claw of Black Fang's grazed along his cheek, ripping flesh and bringing searing pain. Kain growled and kicked hard with all four paws, sending Black Fang flying off of him. Kain scrambled to his feet before Black Fang could recover and faced him. His eyes might as well have been on fire from Kain's seething anger. He always had a bad temper problem. Black Fang stood up quickly and bared his teeth again, charging straight for Kain.

"Black Fang!" Kain yelled as loud as his vocal cords would allow him. "Quit it! It's me, Kain!" Black Fang skidded to a halt inches from Kain and peered into his face to see if it really was his best friend.

"Kain?" Black Fang asked, still looking up at Kain. A look of realization swept over Black Fang's face as he recognized him. "Dammit, sorry Kain," Black Fang apologized.

"Geez, I'd hate to be a poor innocent Pokémon accidently stumbling in here at night," Kain said grumpily as they both walked over to the smoldering coals in the fire pit. Black Fang chuckled weakly at his little joke, trying to shake off what just happened. Black Fang settled down next to Kumori as Kain glared at Persia for sleeping all nice and curled up in his spot again. How she was still asleep they would never know. Diana however, was awoken after hearing Kain and Black Fang's tussle. Kumori, of course, never slept. Kain could see Kumori's bright red eyes piercing through the darkness. "Hey guys," Kain said lying down on Black Fang's other side after giving up on Persia waking up and moving.

"We heard a disturbance and wanted to see what all of the commotion was about," Kumori said alertly. Diana yawned widely from being woke up after just falling asleep.

"Well, one of us at least," Diana said sarcastically, failing to stifle another yawn.

"So why did you come here Kain?" Black Fang asked. "I thought you weren't allowed out this late?"

"Well, you see, it's because my parents suck balls," Kan replied indifferently. Diana leaned forward, past Kumori to look at Kain with heavy lidded eyes.

"Kain you shouldn't talk about your parents like that," Diana said groggily, slurring her speech together from fatigue, "they seem like nice people, and you know," she rested her head back down on the soft earth, "they're your parents and… stuff, and, they seem like nice people, and, boy am I tired, I think I'm gonna…" Her voice trailed off as sleep slipped over her again. Kumori licked at her cheek, helping her drift off into slumber, before settling his head down next to hers also. Black Fang was with Diana on this one, however he didn't dare say anything. He didn't want Kain to leave and not come back. Black Fang frowned slightly. He thought Kain should love his parents. Kain snorted.

"Heh, yeah at least you don't have to live with them, they completely blow," Kain said to Black Fang in a cocky voice. "Life would be so much more fun without parents," Kain said more to himself than to Black Fang. He lay his head down and tried to curl up and sleep. He smirked up at Black Fang briefly before closing his eyes. Black Fang tried to return the smile, but only half of his face complied with his orders. As Kain closed his eyes, Black Fang's face fell and he was left there alone, just staring into the darkness. _No you don't Kain_, Black Fang thought. Black Fang thought of his mother, his loving mother who was murdered, despite Raleigh saying it was his doing for being brought into this world. He thought of his father who had done the evil deed. He was out there somewhere and when Black Fang found him… _No Kain, you have no idea what it's like… _Black Fang finally lay his head down also and tried to fall asleep. He swatted his paw at his face from a tickling on his fur. _Stupid fly,_ Black Fang thought. Unknown to Black Fang, it was a single tear trickling down his face…

Kain's dreams that night were filled with most unpleasant ones, puzzling and strange to him. He was walking through a tranquil forest. It was late at night and the moon shone brightly. The moonlight shone through the tree canopy illuminating some spots and throwing others into shadow. Kain couldn't hear anything apart from the padding of his feet on the earthen ground. Then Kain saw a flash of blue and yellow through the trees. Kain called out to the figure, with no reply back. Kain stopped and looked more closely and saw with a burst of happiness that it was Mytka. She kept walking until she stopped suddenly and turned her head halfway to look at Kain with a single eye. A sly smile slowly slid onto her face. She turned back around and kept on walking, her pace quickened slightly. Kain called out to her again and took off after her. Kain couldn't exactly see her with the density of the trees obstructing his view, but he could hear the path she was taking. Kain hurried on after her. Every time he would catch a glimpse of her, she would somehow know and instantly quicken her pace, disappearing from sight again. Kain eventually broke into a run chasing after her. Kain didn't see her at all now and couldn't hear her quickened pace anymore. He slowed to a walk so that he could hear better, straining his ears for any sound. Kain rounded a tree and nearly came face to face with her. She was sitting on the ground exactly like a canine would, her back up against a tree. The same sly smile that was not hers stretched over her mouth and her image became distorted, so that Kain couldn't recognize even one feature of her anymore. Her image began to become clear again, except her features were different. She had turned into a Luxray before his very eyes… that looked strangely familiar. The very same sly smile was stretched over its face and Kain remembered now where he saw that smile before. It was Raleigh. Kain gasped and took a step back as the Luxray stood up, the sly smile, if possible stretched even wider. Kain didn't think twice as he turned and ran. Kain sprinted at full speed through the forest back the way he came. Kain could hear Raleigh pursuing him and chanced quick glances behind him every now and then. Raleigh ran very smoothly and fluidly, but with great speed. He jumped over fallen logs and dodged around tree trunks effortlessly. Kain heard someone shout out to him off to his left. It sounded like Black Fang. Kain stopped and listened, despite Raleigh still pursuing him.

"Kain quick, over here! I'll hide you," Black Fang said. Kain couldn't exactly see Black Fang, but it sounded like he was just on the other side of some bushes.

"Kain!" a voice shouted from his right. Kain looked at the source of this voice and saw his parents standing there. Alex was quickly motioning him to come to him. "We'll keep you safe, come on!" Karyme said urgently. Kain looked back and forth between Black Fang's voice and his parents, both still shouting for him. Kain could hear Raleigh approaching, he needed to decide quickly.

"Decisions, decisions, what is little Kain going to do I wonder?" Raleigh said nearly right behind him in a singsong voice. Kain panicked and darted off to the left toward Black Fang. He could hear his parents shouting not to go to him and to come back to where it was safe. Kain dove through the brambles and leaves and felt his whole body jolt when he saw there wasn't any ground to land on, on the other side. He dove right off of a cliff. Kain's paws flailed through the air as he fell. His friend's and parent's voices echoed around in his ears getting louder and louder as he fell, all yelling his name. He looked down and saw the bottom filled with jagged pointed rocks, coming up to meet him. Kain shut his eyes tightly and braced himself for the inevitable impact. When nothing happened after a few seconds, Kain cracked open one of his eyes to see what was going on. He saw bright sunlight and beige colored fur in front of him. A paw was running through his fur on the back of his neck. He opened his eyes fully and saw that it was Persia. She smiled warmly and gazed deeply into his eyes.

"You were tossing and turning, but it's all right," she said softly. She scooted closer to him, her muzzle inches from his. "I'm here for you." Kain shrugged her paw off of him and stood up, yawning widely. Diana was dozing peacefully, with Kumori off in his shaded corner, avoiding the sunlight streaming in through the canopy. Black Fang woke up at that moment, turning over and standing up.

"Morning Kain," he said groggily.

"Hey, Black Fang. I was gonna head out to get back."

"Oh, all right Kain. I'll let Diana know where you went when she wakes up."

"See yuh later then," Kain said.

"Bye Kain," Persia said dreamily. Kain kept on walking as if he didn't hear her and headed back up out of the small hole. Black Fang looked over at Persia as Kain disappeared. Persia was still looking at where Kain disappeared with a smile on her face. She caught Black Fang looking at her and whipped her head around to look at him, her smile fading instantly. "What the hell are you looking at?" she said coldly, resting her head back down and dozing off again.

Kain trotted off back to the clearing where the others were camped, but only got about halfway there before he was intercepted by Mytka.

"There you are Kain" Mytka said. "Your parents asked me to find you. Alex wants to move today. He says our location isn't very safe anymore, so he asked me to come find you."

"Oh," Kain said. He didn't think they would be moving again so soon. "All right, I'll come back real soon, I just need to talk with my friends." Mytka sighed. She still didn't like his friends too much.

"Be back soon Kain. Otherwise I'll probably come find you again."

"Yeah, I know," Kain said as he turned around once again. Kain ran back the way he came. He didn't have very far to go before he was toppling through the opening again. Everyone's heads turned to look at Kain as he picked himself up off of the floor.

"See? I told you he'd be back for me," Persia said smugly.

"Kain? What's the matter?" Diana asked, concerned.

"We're moving again," Kain said simply.

"We'll be right behind you Kain," Kumori said almost instantly.

"Right," Kain replied nodding once. "I need to be back before they get worried. And remember, stay out of sight."

**Alex**

I paced back and forth without even realizing it. _Dammit Kain, where are you? _Everyone was ready to go and I had everything tucked away neatly into my backpack. All we were waiting for was Kain. I looked over at Ryo and raised my eyebrows slightly, silently asking, _"What's taking him so long?"_ Ryo merely shrugged and shook his head. A few minutes later I heard the leaves rustle nearby from something moving. I quickly pulled out my knife in case it was an enemy. I was betting it was Kain though, he never announces his arrival. Sure enough Kain emerged from the underbrush looking grumpy as usual.

"Right, everyone's here now," I announced. "Let's get moving." Soon we were off, walking through the forest. Ryo and Drake were out front, Luna was right in front of Karyme and I, and Kain was behind us, falling back a little and keeping his distance from us. _I still couldn't place where his hostility and antisocial-ness was coming from. Karyme and I raised him with all the love and care in the world. His childhood may have been a little tinged with violence after Mytka was kidnapped, but that shouldn't be the reason. No, there was something else influencing that attitude of his._ We walked until day turned into night and the sun sank down low in the sky. We traveled uninterrupted, unless you counted the various times Pokémon jumped out at us, but then ran away after seeing the size of our group.

We stopped at the Lost Tower for the night. We had to really hurry past Solaceon Town before dusk settled in to try and avoid Malak's thugs patrolling the now occupied town. We didn't even bother setting up the tent, because of how tired we were from walking all day. We all sprawled out and slept under the stars in the huge shadow of the tower. We were nearly to Hearthome City and it took us less than a day. I was hoping that the rumors about the tower were false and the rumors about the resistance movement stationed in Hearthome City were true. Luckily the seven of us slept soundly through the night.

In the morning, I roused everyone and we were off before the sun was even up. We were nearly to Hearthome City by now, I could see small abandoned suburbs that lied on the outside of Hearthome. It was probably only another few miles away at best. We stopped for the midday meal in a small enclosure of trees so we could not be spotted from afar. As we sat around eating our lunch, the sun gleamed down at us. Kain was curled up in a small fuzzy ball, on the far side of the camp, resting in the warm sun. Mytka and Luna were talking about something I couldn't really hear from where I was sitting. Drake and Ryo were both helping themselves to seconds, Drake laughing at a joke Ryo just told, pieces of bread flying everywhere as he stuffed halved sandwiches into his mouth, one after another. I decided to lie back on the soft grass next to Karyme and shut my eyes for a little while before we needed to keep moving.

I wasn't lying there for more than a minute when I felt one of Ryo's giant hands hit the ground and heard the soft crunch of the parched summer grass as Ryo stood up.

"Where you goin' dude?" Drake asked. I didn't open my eyes, but from the sound of Ryo's voice, something was up.

"I thought I saw…," his voice trailed off as if he were hoping his sentence would finish itself.

"Probably just some mangy scavenger Pokémon hoping they could steal some of these… what were they called again? Sandwiches?"

"Correct," Ryo replied, his voice still sounding as if his mind were elsewhere. Drake smiled and turned his head around to where Ryo's eyes were transfixed.

"Yeah, you want this, don't yuh, you little scoundrel?" Drake yelled waving his hand with the sandwich in it above his head. "How about you come out here and try to take it from me instead of hiding in the trees?" I smiled slightly at Drake's boldness. Luna looked over at Drake as he yelled into the trees.

"Drake!" she exclaimed. "Don't you be so mean to other Pokémon. Be thankful that we have as much food as we do." I heard Drake sigh as he gave in to Luna. I chuckled softly at Drake again, his fire being so easily put out by Luna. I received a light swat from Karyme's paw as I chuckled and a frown too. I smiled, "Sorry Karyme," I said softly and kissed her cheek gently.

"All right," Drake said. "I'm sorry." I finally opened my eyes as I heard Ryo cautiously heading towards the trees.

"Ryo," I called out. "Nobody is attacking us, we'll be fine." Ryo stopped and turned around to look at me.

"I would just like to investigate, if it is all right with you of course. I'm getting a bad feeling that someone has been watching us for far too long." _I still didn't understand why Ryo asked for my permission and was always so careful not to contradict my decisions. I explained to him numerous times that he wasn't _my _Pokémon and I wasn't his master, yet he still felt it necessary._

"Ryo, we talked about this, you have free will here."

"Thank you Alex," Ryo said, nodding his head slightly in my direction. "I won't be long." With that he turned back around and disappeared silently into the trees. _I was a bit on edge with Ryo gone alone. _I even contemplated following him. I figured, however, that Ryo knew what he was doing and able to look after himself, very well. Either way, I stretched an arm out for my backpack and unsheathed my knife from its leather holster. I slid it up next to my thigh so that it was in easy reach in case something happened. It couldn't have been more than two minutes when I heard an angry yell that sounded like Ryo. I sat up quickly, my fingers closing around the handle of my knife. _Ryo's yell though, it sounded like he was attacking, not being attacked. _A second later I heard a yelp and a high-pitched whine that was not Ryo's. I looked around at the others and they all looked just as confused as I was. We all heard the unmistakable thunder of Ryo's footfalls as he returned, crashing through the underbrush. Ryo emerged from the tree line bearing something… something that I didn't really know what it was at the moment. On closer inspection I saw that it was a Ninetails. _One of the most beautiful and stunning Ninetails I had ever seen. _Its coat was a pure and shiny silver, gleaming from its head, all the way down to the tips of its nine, perfectly manicured tails. It was still conscious, struggling in Ryo's grasp. Ryo had it in a headlock and was holding it up high above the ground, so the tips of its tails were dragging on the ground. The Ninetails' eyes were shut tight on account of the pressure Ryo was applying to its neck. Everyone was staring in stunned silence at Ryo's package.

"My hunch was correct," Ryo said simply, barely exerting any effort to contain the struggling Ninetails. I saw his head twist back and forth around Ryo's burly arm, his eyes still shut tight.

"Umm, Ryo? You're choking him," I pointed out. Ryo simply replied with, "Would you rather have a dead fox or a torched head Alex?" As Ryo and I were talking, I felt Karyme silently slip away to go stand next to Kain. Kain shifted slightly to the side as if he didn't know his own mother.

"Where did you find him again?" I asked.

"Over there. He was lurking just behind the threshold of the shadows, just out of sight," Ryo said, jabbing his thumb of his free hand behind him. In the brief second Ryo let his guard down, the Ninetails slashed out against Ryo's side with his sharp nails. Ryo roared and dropped the Ninetails as blood oozed out of the slashes on his right side. The Ninetails fired a large jet of flame right at Luna, Kain and Karyme. Drake roared angrily and fired his own jet of flame that hit the flamethrower attack and stopped it in its tracks. Drake flew the short distance and landed hard in front of Luna, Kain and Karyme, causing the ground to shake. He spread his wings wide and roared again loudly, in anger. The Ninetails recoiled from his adversary's ferocity. Ryo had just recovered from being viciously attacked and lunged at the Ninetails. He easily dodged the attack and bared his teeth, snarling, before turning to run. Mytka anticipated him, and leapt quickly into his path before he could take two steps. She swung a heavy paw at his face, forcing him to leap back to avoid the blow. He spun around and started running for the large gap between Ryo and myself. At that moment, something seemed to switch on in my head. My senses became sharper and I felt very agile out of nowhere. I broke out into a full sprint towards the fleeing Ninetails. It saw me charging for it and tried to sidestep me, but my quick reflexes traced his every move. I tackled him, catching him around the middle, both of us falling to the ground. He struggled against me, but I eventually found myself pinning him on his back. My fingers wove their way around his throat, applying just enough pressure to prevent him from using any fire attacks. _Never thought I'd need to use that skill from Trainer School._ My hand with the knife held in it, pushed the blade above my hand against his neck, pushing in slightly so he'd know it was there. The Ninetails finally stopped struggling and relaxed, knowing he was beat.

"Luna! Help Ryo out with his wound!" I called out to her, not taking my eyes off of him. The Ninetails turned his head upwards and locked eyes with mine. His eyes were blue. _Icy blue. _I felt my body tense up._ His gaze pierced right through my eyes, I could almost feel its icy intensity boring into my skull like a drill. They chilled me to the very bone, my blood felt sluggish as if it were freezing up._ _I recognized those eyes though. A year ago across the lake when we were heading for Oreburgh and a little while ago in my dream. They were the exact same eyes as the ones I saw in my dream. Pearly, almost translucent, blue orbs, stuck into the Ninetails' skull. _I regained my composure somewhat and opened my mouth to inquire why he was spying on us.

"Do not speak of my intentions human. Your tongue is not worthy to spit words at the air and breach its tranquil serenity," the Ninetails interrupted. I was shocked that he knew what I was thinking before I had even uttered a sound. _Okay Alex, be cool. It was just luck. You're the one in charge here, act like it!_

"Really now?" I said back. "Well I could always have my knife breach your neck. How do you feel about that?" I pressed down on his neck harder with my knife to emphasize my seriousness. Instead of fear flooding the Ninetails' face, he grinned slyly.

"Please human. I See and Know. We both can ensure that you will not kill me. Release me, I do not wish to shatter your mind."

"Or you can tell me who you are and what you were doing watching us. Trust me, it would be the smart thing to do."

"I do not grovel, if that is what you were hoping for," the Ninetails sneered. I heard Karyme walk up and stand behind me.

"Alex?" she asked quietly in a small voice. "Is everything all right?" Before I could respond, the Ninetails turned his head to look at her.

"So you are the one? Karyme?" he asked.

"Uh… Yes, that's me," Karyme responded warily.

"I have been longing to meet you, ever since I recovered an image of yourself from this pathetic infidel's mind," the Ninetails said.

"Wait, did you say from his mind?" Karyme inquired. _I didn't really want Karyme talking to this unknown, mysterious Pokémon, but it was probably the only way we would get information from him._

"Yes, my mental prowess has far surpassed that of nearly every Pokémon on the planet. It gives me the power to peer among the depths of any being's mind. It also allows myself the power to cripple a weak minded opponent with my mind, set mental horrors, or nightmares upon an individual, predict actions of another being or simply just playback someone's memories for myself." Karyme stared at him, puzzled for a moment before chancing a quick glance at me. The Ninetails shifted uncomfortably under my weight, which made me just apply more pressure to his throat.

"If we let you up will you promise you won't hurt anyone else?" Karyme asked.

"Karyme-" I started, but was cut off abruptly by the Ninetails speaking.

"You have my absolute word," he said, sounding very sincere_. I didn't want to let my guard down, but he seemed to like Karyme enough that he wouldn't attack suddenly. Maybe we could play off of this advantage to find out who he was and what he wanted._ I stood up and took a couple of steps backwards as he flipped onto his back and stood up. I chanced a quick glance over at Ryo to see how he was doing. Ryo was sitting up on the grass, eyeing the Ninetails, not with anger, but with caution. _Wow, despite being injured already, he was still watching his every move to make sure things were safe._ Luna was crouched down next to him, clumsily trying to soak up the oozing blood with a gauze-wrapped rag as best as she could with her paws. Mytka was using her Aura powers to help stop the bleeding and heal the wound faster. _Mytka had really become quite adept at her aura powers, it was astounding._ Drake still had his eyes trained on the Ninetails, watching his every move with an angry frown spread over his face. Sadly enough, Kain was curled up in a ball, sleeping again. I turned my attention back to the Ninetails, who was sitting now, his nine tails swaying gently back and forth in the soft breeze. I kept my knife pointed in his direction.

"So who are you?" Karyme asked as she came over to sit next to me. A smart smile played around the Ninetails' lips as he answered.

"My name is Silver. I am nearing millennia old, born in 1013." _For being almost a thousand years old, he looked great._ His fur was still shimmering and he moved with great speed, as we all had seen earlier. Well at least the name "Silver" matched the color of his fur.

"And why were you spying on us?" Karyme asked accusingly.

"Ah…" Silver stuttered slightly. He continued on in a flowing voice. "Well I believe that jealousy has gotten the better of me. You see, out of my 998 years of living, I have never experienced the joys of being with a mate." Silver stood up and began to slowly walk back and forth. I brandished my knife again at him threateningly, but he merely gave me a stern look before continuing. "The day I first encountered you two, was many seasons ago, nearly 6 by now. It was just a meeting in passing, yet it was one of the most important encounters to me." Silver paused, staring up into the sky for nearly a minute before continuing once again. "I've followed you two since then and I watched as your group grew with more companions, even younglings," he said, nodding at Kain. "I soon caught myself wishing one day that I could belong to someone… I was a fool, I brought myself back to the real world, my old life. I have survived nine centuries on my own, what reason was there to change my lifestyle then? With each passing day, I found myself becoming more hateful and jealous of the bond you two share, of a bond I had never had. I did some cruel things, things to try and drive you two apart so that I could be with Karyme… It was spiteful and wrong, most of it you have never noticed… Nine centuries… Nine centuries and I had never been defeated once by an adversary, until I let my own envy defeat me." We were all silent for a few seconds as Silver finished and sat back down on the grass facing us. Karyme was the first one to speak again.

"So this whole time… you were just jealous of Alex and me?"

"Yes," Silver said very sincerely. "What I really mean is to apologize for what I've done. It was not right and for that I am truly sorry." I noticed how Silver still didn't look at me at all when he said that.

"What are we supposed to do with him now?" Ryo asked from behind me.

"If you don't mind, I think I will be taking my leave," Silver said standing up. I didn't really see a reason to keep him around. He gave us a small nod before trotting back off into the forest. And just like that, he was gone. I glanced around quickly at everyone before standing up myself.

Without much more reason to stick around where we were at, we quickly packed up and kept on walking for Hearthome City. Our first glimpses of the city were from some tall crests in the path, but with the solid concrete wall that was erected around the perimeter of the city, it was only possible to see the very top of the tallest buildings. _Let's just hope that those buildings are still occupied by humans._ I could feel everyone getting antsier the closer we got. I know that I got goose bumps every time I said the words "warm bed" or "hot food" in my head.

Just a little bit before sunset, we finally made it. The tall concrete walls towered over us. _Those things must be at least a hundred feet tall!_ As we approached we heard shouts from atop the gigantic wall and I looked up to see no more than five people pointing high-powered rifles at us. _Yes! Finally, other humans!_

"Don't make any quick movements and try not to look threatening," I whispered over my shoulder to everyone else. We all stopped in our tracks when we heard one of the voices shout, "Don't move!" We then heard a series of four loud clicks one after the other. The huge metal doors in front of us that lead into Hearthome City were opened the tiniest of cracks and through it came eight men in single file, all of them with the barrels of their assault rifles trained on us. I saw that they were all wearing matching black combat armor. It looked like it was fire retardant, hard enough to not be damaged by any physical attack and had a layer of anti-freezing material._ No matter what type of attack was thrown at them, they'd be set._ The eight of them were upon us in seconds, completely surrounding us. I saw one more straggler behind the circle of guards that pushed his way through the circle. He was taller and heavier built than any of the other men surrounding us, and unlike the flat black suits the eight men were wearing, his was a steely gray, with a thick red stripe running down the length of his right arm. _He was the captain of the guard._ All eight of the guards around us still stood with their rifles pointed at each of us, their muscles tensed, I presumed, ready to attack at the slightest threat. _But not the captain._ He had his rifle thrown over his shoulder, leaning on one leg, examining us. He reached up to his full helmet and visor he was wearing and hit a small button on the side of it. The thick visor that was tinted and unable to be seen through became transparent almost instantly. The only features I could see were his squinty eyes and perfectly trimmed mustache. He was wearing a smirk on his face, until he finally spoke.

"You sure do have some explainin' to do boy, and it better be one hell of an explanation."

"We're stragglers," I said slowly, with no trace of hostility in my voice. "We were stranded in Veilstone City when the attack hit and we traveled all this way because we had heard there were other survivors here." I looked behind me at the others before continuing. "We just wanted to join you and help out with the fight against Malak." The captain laughed, his whole upper body shaking as he did.

"Well we'll just see bout' that now won't we son?" He brought his gun swinging down off of his shoulder and his empty hand caught the fore grip. For a moment I thought he was going to shoot us. I flinched slightly. "Bit jumpy ain't we?" He stepped out of our way, showing us the gateway to Hearthome City. "Come on, let's move. We'll get you fellas into a nice room with good hot meals for yuh." _The thought of those two things sounded so good right now, _that I didn't realize I was supposed to move until I felt a hard jab in the back from a barrel of a gun and a voice yelling, "Move it!" behind me.

Twenty minutes later however, I found myself sitting in a prison cell inside one of the detention centers inside Hearthome. My knife, my backpack, my friends, Kain and Karyme were all taken from me. They were put back inside their pokeballs, or more like forced and these special clamps were put on each of the balls to prevent them from coming out whenever they wanted to. The bed in the cell was so hard I might as well have been sleeping on dirt and the "food" they had given to me shouldn't have even been able to pass as edible. The mashed potatoes were just hard lumps, the meatloaf still looked undercooked and had the consistency of raw ground beef. I hadn't touched any of it. I sat against the back wall of my cell, my head back looking up at the ceiling, arms crossed over my chest and my feet crossed on the floor out in front of me. The police officers outside of my cell, one of them a Blaziken and the other, human were chatting away. The Blaziken was telling the man about an ATV adventure he went on with his buddies a long time ago and how things went comically wrong resulting in one of his friends accidently sliding off of the trail into a very muddy, slow-moving river. I tried hard to ignore their laughter at least for now. The captain told me I wasn't being incarcerated as of now. I was just being held until I was interviewed by the "leader" of the Sinnoh Resistance. In order to be allowed to roam Hearthome City and join their cause. According to the human officer, who was residing outside of my cell, showing pictures of his family to the Blaziken, all newcomers had to go through this. From the few questions that they had answered out of the mountain I had thrown at them, their leader was some guy named Kurt and he was the strongest trainer around the Sinnoh region. _That was probably the only reason he was the leader, just because he was strong. But hey, it sure is an important quality for a leader, especially in these times._

The sound of the legs of the chairs the police officers were sitting in, scraping across the concrete floor reached my ears, freeing me from my thoughts. I looked up to see a tall man shaking hands with the police officers outside of my cell with one of his enormous hands. They greeted each other as old friends would as one of the officers handed him a clipboard. _It was the same one they asked me to fill out with all of my personal information._ He glanced at it for a few seconds before turning his head to glance at me.

"You know, I never forget a face," the man said, stepping closer to me and into the light. "Alex." He was a tall and burly guy, with short brown hair and a soft looking face. His clothes were dusty, but without one rip or tear in them. He gave off an air of a hardworking, down to earth leader, yet kind and fair also.

"I'm sorry, but how do you know me mister…"

"Blair," he finished for me. "The name's Kurt Blair. Pleasure to meet you Alex," Kurt said, extending his hand through the bars, which I grasped firmly before letting go. "How could anyone forget Alex, the hero of Oreburgh?" It clicked in my head. _Wow, that seemed like such a long time ago. Who would've thought that nearly escaping death from a collapsing cave would be only the second most dangerous thing I've done in my life. A year ago I never thought I'd be sitting in a jail cell, talking with the most powerful trainer in Sinnoh, and _asking_ to go and fight the most dangerous Pokémon in the world and his army of one thousand slaves._ "But even heroes can fall from the light," Kurt continued. "And that is why I'm sorry to say, we're going to have to keep you here until we can do a full psychiatric analysis." He turned to leave, stopping to have a final word with the two officers. _Great,_ I thought, retreating to the back wall of my cell and leaning back against the wall with my arms across my chest. _I give myself to throw at Malak, but I'm of better use chained up. Ah well, they'll figure out I'm not loony and let me out soon. Hell, no wonder they thought that, I just told them I wanted to go after Malak with nothing but myself and my friends. You gotta be crazy, stupid or just feel like luck's on your side if you think you can pull that off. I couldn't figure out which one I was though…_

Kurt nodded at the two officers and started heading back up the stairs, out of the underground cell block. Suddenly, I heard a "tinging" noise. I looked down at my plate of food and saw my fork rattling around on my plate. Then I could feel it too, the ground beneath me was shaking. Kurt stopped and turned around confusedly at the officers. _That's when it all happened too fast to remember clearly. _

"What in blazes is that?" one of the officers asked.

"Oh no…," Kurt said quietly. One second the ground beneath me was still shaking and the next, the concrete floor outside of my cell exploded as a shining silver, snake-like Pokémon burst through the floor and up into the ceiling, disappearing from view. My ears were ringing as if a bomb went off. I coughed heavily through the thick cloud of dust circling the room. When the dust finally started settling and I could make out the room around me, it looked like a bomb had indeed gone off. Half of my cell was just a big gaping hole, and beyond that, nearly all of the entire room outside of my cell was just that, an enormous hole. The two officers were nowhere to be seen, yet I realized with a pang of guilt, that the center of the hole was almost where they had been standing. I looked closer and saw a body trapped under what looked like a section of ceiling from the floor above.

"Kurt!" I yelled out through the haze. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," Kurt's rough voice responded back. "I can't move."

"Hang on! I'll try and make my way over there!" I inched forward towards the gaping hole in the floor and looked down. It was at least ten feet wide and looked bottomless. I grabbed a rock on the wall and swung myself out of my cell to the right and landed on the outside of the pit in the room. Slowly I inched my way around the edge and toward the stairs where Kurt was trapped. I kneeled down and pulled on the rubble on his chest while he struggled to push it up. It didn't even shift one bit.

"Damn. Ryo and Drake would be able to lift this," I said out of breath.

"They're in the wall case," Kurt said nodding towards the wall behind me. "The code is 32814." I maneuvered my way over to the safe and punched the code into the digital keypad. I quickly scooped the six pokeballs still with the special clamps on them into my backpack and pulled my pack out of the wall case. I picked up my sheathed knife and clipped it back onto my belt. Making my way back over to Kurt, I pulled Ryo and Drake's pokeballs from my backpack.

"So how do I get the clamps off-" I started, but Kurt cut me off with a loud "shh."

"Listen," Kurt whispered. I quieted myself and listened hard. Above us, I could hear shouts, gunshots, roars, screams and explosions. I sounded like an attack was taking place in the city above us. However there was a foreign sound that sounded much closer. It was a sort of "ting, ting, ting" sound, like a piece of metal hitting a rock. I turned around just in time to see two Sneasel leap forth out of the hole in the middle of the floor. _So that's what the sound was, they were using their claws to climb up the side of the hole._ _From the way they were eyeing me, it looked like that wasn't the only thing they were going to use them for._

"Look, it's the human!" The first Sneasel said.

"Cut him to pieces!" the other said, dropping into a battle stance. "Master Malak will be most pleased with us!" _Ah shit._ I jumped up, pulling my knife from its sheath, just as the first one lunged at me. I dodged to the right as he went soaring past me, focusing on the other one as he swiped at my stomach and missed. I backed up as both of them fell in next to each other, advancing on me. They glanced at each other before leaping off to either side, both hitting the opposite walls on all fours and leaping off of them, flying towards my head. I jumped backwards as they both swiped at where I was a split second ago. One of the Sneasel lost his balance and fell in front of me. I aimed a kick at him, hitting him hard in the ribs and sending him flying backwards. "Little bastard," I said as he turned his head towards me and viciously snarled. The other one jumped at me again, but this time I brought my knife slashing out in front of me. My knife and its claw clashed against each other with a loud "ting" and I had to duck as the other claw went swishing past my ear. The Sneasel landed on the ground behind me and leapt at me again before I could recover from its last attack. I spun around hastily and tried to move backwards out of the way, but my foot collided against a piece of rubble and I toppled backwards, landing hard on my back. I grunted loudly as pain shot through my body. My eyes blinked and I saw the Sneasel in the air above me, coming down at me with its sharp claws. Its mouth was wide open revealing its sharp teeth as he yelled his fierce battle cry. Its eyes were livid and filled with hate and death. I reacted quickly, grabbing my knife with both hands, the blade pointing upwards over my chest. I thrust it upwards with force and felt it sink into flesh. The Sneasel's eyes softened and became still, as did his voice, replaced with a sputtering sound. I felt something warm trickling over my fingers, and down the back of my hand, leaving a red trail. I let its body fall next to me as I yanked the knife from its chest. It rolled over onto its back, mouth wide open, eyes unfocused and blank with fear. Its claws moved over his chest, feeling where my knife had taken his life. I looked around for the other Sneasel which had seemingly disappeared during my tussle with the other one. I saw it advancing towards Kurt, its claws gleaming against the light.

"No!" I shouted. I did the first thing that popped into my mind. My knife was hurtling through the air before I even realized how stupid of an idea it was. I watched as it soared right past the Sneasel's left shoulder, hitting the wall with a loud clang and clattering to the floor. The Sneasel stopped and turned around, brushing its left shoulder with a claw. Its claw tip was stained blood red and a drop fell off, dripping onto the floor. _Well, at least I did something to it, even though I only grazed it._ The Sneasel started advancing on me with a fast walk, before yelling loudly and sprinting towards me. I looked around for anything to use as a weapon and spotted a large rock. _Better than nothing._ I picked up the rock and swung it at the Sneasel just as it jumped for my head. The rock collided with the side of its head and a loud crack rang throughout the room. The Sneasel's lifeless body flew through the air and went back down the large hole from which it had come up out of. My job done, I let the rock drop to the floor and made my way back over to Kurt. He told me how to unlock the clamp devices and with Drake and Ryo's combined help, Kurt was free within a few minutes. We hurried up the stairs and out into the street. _It was worse than I imagined._ Buildings were torn asunder, rubble littering the cobblestone streets. People were shouting for loved ones and screaming in fear as Malak's thugs pursued them. Onix and Steelix towered above them all, roaring loudly and swishing their tails this way and that, knocking over buildings, and sweeping innocent people aside to their deaths. It was horrible and almost unbearable to watch. Pokémon killing humans and the Pokémon trying to defend their helpless trainers as if they were squishing bugs.

"Come on, we need to move," Kurt said grabbing me by my collar and pulling me down a side alley. Ryo and Drake followed silently, their heads swiveling this way and that in search of danger.

"Whoa, whoa, wait just a minute. Shouldn't we be helping fight off the attackers?" I asked almost angrily. Kurt kept on walking with a quick pace as if he hadn't heard me.

"Yes, normally I would be helping the people, but the secrecy of you is too valuable to risk. We must keep you invisible to Malak and his forces at all costs," Kurt said hurriedly. We rounded the corner and a door flew open for us which we both quickly ducked into. We were in a dark hallway now with a heavy door at the end. It too swung open as we approached it and two guards wearing the same black combat suits, carrying large assault rifles, nodded at us as we hurried through the door. They raised their rifles and fell in behind Ryo and Drake, following us. We came out into another darkened alleyway and continued walking.

"Wait, what do you mean? Why do I have to be kept a secret?" I asked, trying to keep up with Kurt's long strides.

"Because!" Kurt said angrily, almost as if he was mad that I had asked him such a stupid question. He stopped and turned around to face me. "You are Alex!" he said gesturing to all of me. "You thwarted him at Oreburgh Mine and everyone says that he has a vendetta out for you! You heard those Sneasel, 'Look, it's the human!' Malak wants you, not me, not anyone else in this city, you! And I am very sorry to be so rude, but this is a major inconvenience, you showing up. If he finds out you're here, we'll have him and his army bashing down our front door and we will all surely die. We're outnumbered five to one and these weekly events," he said, gesturing to the sounds of roars, screams, explosions and gunshots going off behind him, "are not helping us." He turned around quickly and kept walking, with us three following him. I was a bit taken aback, trying to swallow everything he just said. "You're going to stay with me, you'll be the most protected there," Kurt said over his shoulder.

We continued walking through alleyways, occasionally disappearing into a small building as a shortcut, until we reached the center of the city. Kurt led us into a heavily fortified house that looked like it was converted into a bunker. The outside was covered in thick blast metal and all of the windows had large metal shutters on them, half of them closed. Behind the house was a large enclosure of a half dozen warehouses, surrounded by chain-linked fencing with barbed wire on the top. Every fifty feet along the fence, a large sign read, "RESTRICTED: Military officials and personnel ONLY. Trespassers WILL be fired upon." Four guards stood in front of the gate leading into the enclosure. _That must be where they store their munitions and military vehicles._ The inside of Kurt's bunker-house was different than I had expected. It seemed very "homey." It looked like a regular house with nearly all of the furnishings. Kurt showed me to the room I would be staying in. I let everyone out of their pokeballs and explained the situation to them. We talked long into the night and eventually we all turned in. I took one last, long look out of the window, thinking over everything that had happened today and what was still to come. I sighed and crawled into bed next to Karyme who was sleeping peacefully. I wrapped my arms around her waist and snuggled close to her, glad to be warmed by her soft fur before I fell asleep…

Unknown to Alex or anyone else, a pair of eyes watched the house they were in. Patiently, staking out the location all day, he finally got a glimpse of his target. Alex. He was gazing out the window at the moon. The Pokémon smiled slyly as Alex turned around and the light was turned off in the room. Master Malak will want to hear of this at once, the Pokémon thought before slinking off through the dark forest, with a swish of leaves…

A dark cave stood completely in silence except for the steady dripping of water from the ceiling to the floor, never ceasing. _Drip… drip… drip… drip…_ But suddenly a new sound echoed through the barren cavern. A clicking sound, nails against the hard rock floor. Suddenly a large flame burst to life out of a Cyndaquil's back. It illuminated the cave and revealed it to be a long hallway, perfectly straight and looking as if it stretched into eternity. Every few meters stood a large wooden pole, stuck into the rock in perfectly round holes as if some kind of Pokémon drilled into the rock. On top of each of these poles, was a Cyndaquil and fire burst from each of their backs as the clicking sound drew nearer, all the way down the length of the cavern.

At that second the source of the clicking sound came into view. A large Mightyena covered in scars and with tufts of fur missing, strode ahead of two other Pokémon. On his right, a Floatzel walked in pace with the Mightyena's steps, always staying a few steps behind him. His floatation sack on his belly was dyed a deep black and a small scar could be seen on his cheek, under his eye. He was obviously easy to spot among most Floatzel. On the Mightyena's left, a very beautiful Gardevoir floated silently along. She was stunningly graceful and flawless. She gave off an air of pureness that couldn't be touched by anything. As the trio moved quickly down the long cavern, the Floatzel was relaying information to the Mightyena.

"Today there was another uprising in the lower wards," the Floatzel said seriously. "Fifty have died already and many more will surely suffer the same fate. They are battling wounds and we do not believe that most of them will make it through the night. We have supplies on hand, ready to-"

"Let the betrayers suffer," the Mightyena said furiously, cutting the Floatzel off. "No medicine, no food, no water. Let them die slowly and shamefully as an example to any other who choose to be disobedient." The Floatzel had a pained look on his face from the Mightyena's orders. Luckily he was behind the Mightyena so that he could not see.

"Yes Master Malak," the Floatzel finally said slowly.

"Malak," the Gardevoir said, in her smooth and flowing voice. "Why must you be so cruel? Those Pokémon are just frightened, they need a strong and compassionate leader, not a cruel and harsh one."

"Do you dare defy me?" Malak yelled, his strong voice echoing off of the walls as his head spun around in a snarl, teeth bared and growling low and menacingly. "I am the master, the supreme ruler of Sinnoh and what are you? You are merely my mate! But do not think that just because you are I won't strike you down in a second without hesitation if your tongue should slip up again!" Malak's fur crackled and flared with dark energy so intense, she had to back away slightly or risked being harmed. The three Pokémon continued down the narrow cavern, Malak fuming. Eventually, they reached a large open room. There was no need for lighting in here. Nearly the whole ceiling was covered with crystals that connected with the world above their underground cavern. Sunlight hit the top of the crystals and shone down through, into the room, revealing it to be almost perfectly circular. To the right of the entrance, a small stream of water trickled down the wall, collecting in a small pool at the bottom that ran all the way around the wall of the room. At the back of the room, rocks were arranged to form a stairway up to a small landing. At the top, a large seat of enormous leaves was placed. The three made their way up the staircase. Malak lay down on the leaf seat, facing the doorway, with the Gardevoir lying down gracefully on her side, propping herself up with one arm. The Floatzel merely stood on the corner of the platform, out of the way of the staircase.

"And what of the attack on that pitiful human settlement?" Malak asked calmly. The Floatzel looked nervous and hesitated answering.

"Only fourteen of the two-hundred and seven returned. They all reported that the humans had repelled the attack effectively." Malak looked at the Floatzel with his angry black eyes. The Floatzel thought he was going to be crushed with one of Malak's dark attacks.

"Good," Malak said finally, turning to look forward again. The Floatzel silently let out a breath he had been holding. "None of them had given me the loyalty I had demanded anyway." Malak smiled deviously and laughed. "And to think that when I told them they would be heroes and could crush the humans singlehandedly, they believed me! The fools!" Malak laughed again, his smile still plastered on his face. "I want you to see to it that the remaining fourteen's meals are poisoned."

"It will be done Master Malak," the Floatzel said, bowing.

"Jor'yun!" Malak called out, his voice booming around the room and down the long cavern. Two seconds later there was a bright purple flash and an Alakazam appeared down on one knee, head bowed down.

"Yes Master Malak?" The Alakazam said in a low voice, chancing a quick glance up at Malak.

"You will bring me berries at once," Malak said, glaring down at Jor'yun from atop his perch.

"Yes Master. Would Master require anything further?" Jor'yun asked.

"Now!" Malak roared loudly. There was another bright purple flash and he disappeared. Five seconds later, Jor'yun appeared once again in a bright purple flash, this time bearing a rounded bowl made out of stone, laden with Pecha, Oran, and Sitrus berries. Head bowed, Jor'yun approached Malak, set the bowl down in front of him and took three steps backwards before dropping to one knee again.

"Will that be all?" Jor'yun asked, gasping and adding 'Master' to the end of his question hastily.

"No Jor'yun, I have something for you," Malak said, sounding oddly polite.

"Yes Master?" Jor'yun said, chancing another glance up at Malak. Malak opened his jaws and a black ball, crackling with dark energy, flew out with great speed, striking Jor'yun right across the face. The force from the Shadow Ball twisted Jor'yun's head around as blood flew from his lips. Jor'yun quickly spun his head back around to where it was originally. Jor'yun's head was still bowed down in respect, but now with a steady stream of blood dripping from his mouth. He tried not to flinch or make any sound as pain coursed through his body, setting his nerves on fire, lest he get struck again.

"You will only look at me when commanded to!" Malak thundered. "Be thankful that you only received a warning! Now get out of my sight before I change my mind and finish the job!" Jor'yun was gone in a purple flash before Malak's voice had even stopped echoing along the cavern walls. Malak grunted and devoured a berry whole. "What use are you to me if you're just sitting there?" Malak asked the Gardevoir angrily. As if she already knew exactly what Malak wanted, she began to rub Malak's back tenderly. Satisfied, Malak picked up another berry in his mouth and swallowed it. Have you heard from Raleigh yet?" Malak asked the Floatzel who was still standing at attention.

"No master, he is due to arrive soon however." As if his words made it true, a voice echoed out of the dark cavern and Raleigh stepped into the lit room.

"I have returned Master and I bring news," Raleigh said. Raleigh didn't make any effort to be submissive in anyway like the others. He was Malak's most trusted and most dedicated henchman. Some called him 'Malak's right hand' because of how many important missions and errands he sent him on. He walked right up to Malak and sat back on his haunches before him.

"Kain, the human's youngling, still has not given in," Raleigh said. "He shows signs of giving up on the human, yet he needs a few more attempts and one more big push." Malak looked up quickly at Raleigh.

"You still haven't brought him to our side?"

"A mind is like an onion Master. You must peel back the layers one at a time before you can get to the core. It was how I had converted so many to our cause, but time is the key." Malak growled low, turning into a snarl, before it came to a roar. Malak swiped at the bowl in front of him, shattering it. The Floatzel had to duck as fragments and berries flew over his head.

"We need at least one thing to use against Alex! Without anything, he will just evade capture until we find him! That could take months, years even! What of the scouts that searched Veilstone forest after we heard rumors?"

"They came on an empty campsite with no trail to follow," Raleigh said disgusted. "The scouts were dealt with for coming back empty handed. However it is all obsolete after what I had witnessed tonight."

"And what is this observation that makes all of our efforts obsolete Raleigh?" Malak yelled louder than ever. A grin spread across the Luxray's face.

"Alex, himself, along with his entire entourage in Hearthome City." Malak's anger dissipated.

"Are you sure it was him?"

"Unless I am delusional, then yes, I am sure." An evil grin slid onto Malak's face.

"Well it looks like fate has decided in our favor. We can wipe out the remaining pathetic humans and Alex all in one swift attack. Raleigh, you will have one more chance to swing young Kain our way."

"Yes Master," Raleigh said.

"Now be gone, both of you. My mate and I will be spending some time together and do not let anyone disturb us or it will be their death." The Floatzel bowed before turning to follow Raleigh out of the cavernous room. "Oh and Raleigh," Malak said. Raleigh turned around to face Malak."

"Yes?"

"You have done well, son."

"It was my pleasure, father."

**End Notes:** Oho! How's that for a twist eh? Well I know that some of you who have been here from the beginning, you know who you are, have predicted this and damn, you guys are good! Well like I said before, if you still want your character to make an appearance in my story, send your PM's away! I shall review all of them, without a doubt. My next update shouldn't take too long, since I already have half of the next chapter written out already, expect to see another in about a week or two! So anyway, review please, I love to hear any and all feedback whether it's positive or negative. I also LOVE suggestions, so if you have any, go ahead and send them my way! I am still a developing writer and I know my writing isn't where I would like it to be. Again I'm sorry for the long wait, I shall accept your banana and tomato throwing with open arms! So to all of my readers, thanks for sticking with me and stay frosty!


	24. Dark as the Night

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 24: Dark as the Night **

**Author Notes:** Hello to all once again! Oh and before I forget, (no not the Slipknot song XD, but still awesome!) Spacewolf, I got the review you sent for last chapter, but when you tried to send me your e-mail address, it didn't show up, because Fan Fiction blocks e-mail addresses in reviews. If you get a Fan Fiction account, I can PM you and it'd be easier to communicate. Same thing for all of you anonymous reviewers! I do respond to every single review so if you have an account I can reply to you, so please do get an account! Anyway… I see I have had a decline in my readers, and I am guessing that it has been no doubt from my absence… Ah well, I expected it, but to all of you still here, who have been here from the beginning, YOU are my true fans and I welcome you back with open arms! To all of you who are just joining our family (and there sure are a lot of you!) …what took you so damn long? Well, welcome! Anyway, I'm glad to see a lot of people enjoyed last chapter. Note to all, this chapter is VERY dark and evil. Also there is some content not suitable for those under 18… but who the hell follows those rules anyway? But yes, very dark and evil chapter… I know it'll upset some people, but I won't say anymore… I just felt very dark all of a sudden though myself… Life has its harsh times and I guess it's my turn. Anyway, all of my OC's I own, anything else is property of the wonderful souls of GameFreak and Nintendo, enjoy!

**Recap: **Alex moves the group to a safer location, meet Silver, make it to Hearthome City, Hearthome is attacked, Raleigh tells Malak that Alex is in Hearthome.

The bright warm sun shone down through the window of the bedroom and made Kain's deep black fur gleam. Everyone in the room was still sound asleep in the early hours of the morning. The only one missing was Ryo who had gotten up earlier. Kain yawned widely and stretched his paws out in front of him, squinting his eyes from the bright sun. He stood up and slinked out of the room as quietly as possible. Kain looked around for some form of escape from the house. Being the middle of summer, with all of the windows thrown wide open I hope to catch a cool breeze, it wasn't that difficult. Kain toppled out of a window on the side of the house into the soft grass below. A guard looked over at the noise, as Kain picked himself up off of the ground.

"Hey, you shouldn't be snooping around here," the guard said, after seeing that is was only a little Houndour. His voice was muffled slightly from behind his thick tinted visor, on his full head helmet. "Go on, get out of here," the guard said, kicking up some dust with his feet to try and shoo him away. Kain gave the guard a long dirty look before trotting off back into the city.

Kumori had intercepted Kain last night, swooping down on him from above, as he went out to take a pee. Kumori had just gotten back from feeding and told Kain to meet Diana behind the old Poke'Mart a little after sunrise. She would take him to their "hideout" in the city. As Kain rounded the corner behind the Poke'Mart he saw Diana standing alone, up against the wall.

"'Sup Diana," Kain said, trotting over to where she stood.

"Morning Kain!" she said cheerfully. She leaned down to try and nuzzle Kain as a hello. Kain dodged out of the way, trying to play it off as if he tripped.

"Well… This way," Diana said half-heartedly. Diana led Kain down an alleyway directly behind the Poke'Mart. She continued down alleyways, the walls becoming much more rugged and dirty, the farther they got from the main hub of the city. She took Kain right, then two lefts and then one more right until they found themselves in the most dark and dank alleyway yet. They came face to face with the large concrete stone wall that ran itself all the way around Hearthome. Kain looked between Diana and the obvious dead end of the alleyway, confused.

"Uh, Diana? You sure you know where you're going?" Kain asked warily.

"Yes, we're here," Diana said, walking over to a large overflowing dumpster, which was the only thing in the narrow alley besides a bicycle, a deflated basketball and some over-turned trashcans.

"Huh?" Diana walked around behind the dumpster, where there was just enough space for a medium-sized Pokemon to fit through. She disappeared and called out for Kain to follow her, but it sounded as if she were far away. Bemused, Kain walked into the dark, narrow gap and felt the ground give way. Kain cried out as he fell through a hole and onto a trodden dirt floor. Kain got up quickly and saw Diana smiling, standing next to Kumori. Persia, who was lying on her side a few feet away from everyone else, batted her eyelashes and purred seductively as she saw Kain look over at her. A sly smile spread across her face and she winked slowly at him. Kain realized that Black Fang, who was standing a little behind Diana and Kumori, was laughing hysterically. There was also a small brown, fuzzy Pokemon next to his who was laughing even harder than his best friend.

"Hey Kain," Black Fang said, still snickering. "Nice entrance." Kain tried to shake off his landing and act cool.

"Who's that?" Kain asked Diana bluntly nodding at the small Eevee.

"Woah! I'm right here, you can just ask me," the Eevee piped up. "The name's Sol by the way, who're you?"

"Ummm, Kain," he said thrown off.

"Cool, yeah this used to be my own secret hideout, until everyone else here showed up. I decided to share with them." Kain nodded at the small Eevee. _He seemed fun enough to hang out with,_ Kain thought. Kain took to looking around the room as a distraction. It looked like it was a cellar of some sort. Most of it was empty besides a few cardboard boxes and various shelves of cans and bottles of soda and beer. Other boxes had pictures of napkins and Styrofoam dishes. The only light came from a strip of incandescent lights, some bulbs faded and some bulbs broken. Kain saw the stairs leading up to a heavy metal door. Kain also spotted another door off to his right that looked like it was closed tight.

"So how did you guys actually find this place?" Kain asked, finished looking around, his eyes back on Diana.

"Oh, well Kumori found a very secluded spot in the city and found this old building. We think it used to be an old pub, but it was hard to tell. The upstairs is all burnt and charred from a fire. It was hard to walk through with debris everywhere. The door from the upstairs to down here is steel, so I guess the fire couldn't touch this part of the building. We couldn't open the door to get down here though because of a large beam that fell down on top of it. It covers the hatch perfectly! So we went out into the alleyway and asked Black Fang to use one of his Shadow Ball attacks-"

"And a very good Shadow Ball it was indeed," Black Fang cut in proudly.

"Yes, it was very well done," Diana replied, smiling at him. "And so it blasted a hole in the ground outside and through the side wall to make a small entrance." Sol looked over at Kain.

"Yeah and I was down here minding my own business when BOOM! It was like a bomb went off, dust went everywhere, and I thought I was done for!"

"Yes, we still apologize for the scaring we gave you," Kumori said to Sol.

"Bah, it was nothing. If you guys didn't announce that you meant no harm I might've killed you all with my awesome moves." Sol said jokingly. Kain snickered slightly. The day he saw a small Eevee kill Kumori was the day the world ended.

"Anyway," Diana interrupted. "We finished covering the hole by pushing the old dumpster over to this side of the alley to conceal the hole."

"I like it," Persia said sleepily. "It's nice, dark, secluded-" she yawned widely and curled up into a ball to sleep. "And quiet," she finished, shutting her eyes and grinning.

"Hold up, how did all of you get into the city?" Kain asked.

"The first night I discreetly flew each one individually over the wall," Kumori said. "But recently Black Fang has discovered a small hole in the wall just large enough for us to squeeze in and out of the city to find food. The humans are too busy with other larger problems, so they have not noticed this small structural weakness as of now."

"Excellent, I like this place already!" Kain said happily. At that moment we heard a voice outside in the alleyway.

"I can smell him, he's hiding around here somewhere," the feminine voice said.

"Always running off like that, we have to keep a better eye on him," another voice said, this one male. Everyone's heads turned to the voices as an 'oof' rang out through the room. A Glaceon tumbled into the room. He grunted as he stood up, not seeming to notice everyone looking at him. "Watch out, there's a-" another 'oof' cut him off as an Umbreon tumbled into sight as well. "Gap," he finished, moving over to help her up. He just noticed that there were others in the room and spun around, facing us. He glanced at Sol and his teeth flashed into sight as a snarl ripped through his maw. "You better not have hurt my son!" the Glaceon yelled. The Umbreon looked over at us and then at the Glaceon, smiling.

"You know this is why your first impressions never seem to turn out that well," the Umbreon said to the Glaceon. "They don't look harmful to me." The Glaceon turned to Sol.

"Who are these people," he demanded.

"Come on, you guys always embarrass me," Sol said annoyed. "These are my friends." He motioned to each of us, introducing us to his parents. The Glaceon threw back his head and laughed.

"Oh wow, I am very sorry. Gotta stay on your toes, yuh' know? All these dangerous Pokemon running around, you never know." He walked up to us, crossing the room in a few strides, with the Umbreon following closely behind him. She peeked at each one of us, never making eye contact. "Well hey, my name is Gleam," the Glaceon said. "And this is my mate Storm," he said addressing the Umbreon. "Don't you wanna say hi?" he asked her. She looked at us again and we all caught a very shy 'hello.' "Well anyway," Gleam said. "Hope you don't mind us barging into your home. We were just looking for Sol here. We were worried since he didn't come home last night."

"I'm fine guys," Sol said. "My new friends said that it was all right for me to stay the night here. But I guess it is time to go home though." Sol trotted over to his parents. "I'll see you all later! I'll come by tomorrow!" Everyone said their goodbyes to Sol and his parents as they retreated back up the hole.

"They seem like very nice pokemon," Kumori said. Diana lied down on the floor, Kumori doing the same and sliding up next to her.

"Why don't you bring Mytka by? We haven't seen her in ages!" Diana said to Kain.

"You kidding me?" Kain replied, laughing. "So she can control me just like my parents try to? Yeah right." Diana's mouth became thin, just like it always did when Kain talked bad about his parents. "She doesn't need to know a thing."

About an hour later, Kain and Black Fang were crawling through the tunnel that led to the forest beyond the great concrete wall that surrounded Hearthome. Kain grew tired of always hanging around in a hidey hole. He wanted to roam and be free. As Kain and Black Fang both slipped out of the hole together, they broke into a run, up the sloping hill, into the forest. They wove their way in and out of trees, over fallen logs, and around low hanging brambles and brush. Once Kain and Black Fang reached the top of the hill, they slowed down and stopped.

"I'm king of the world!" Kain yelled out from atop the hill. The hilltop reached much higher than the large concrete wall that surrounded Hearthome. It was even higher than most buildings. From this viewpoint they could see the sea of buildings and homes inside Hearthome. Many were ravaged and needed repair. The destruction was also visible. Some buildings had toppled all together, reduced to piles of rubble. Holes littered the ground from where burrowing Pokemon had emerged. Kain could even see a few craters left behind from blasts, what the blasts were from, Kain had no idea. Together as one vivid scene it looked like war. Which was exactly what it was.

"Wow," Black Fang said from behind Kain, completely awestruck.

"I know, awesome huh?" Kain said, still soaking in the terrible sight of Hearthome City in ruins. Black Fang frowned.

"No I mean this," Black Fang said. Kain turned around to see Black Fang staring in the complete opposite direction of the city. Kain took a look and saw a deep valley nestled between two snowcapped mountain ranges. A small river could just be made out, slithering its way through, on its way south to the ocean. The river seemed like it was miles away from them as they stood atop the hill, looking down on the beautiful scene. Kain reminded himself that it probably was a mile to the bottom of the valley. One side of the valley was bathed in sunlight from the rising sun while the other was still under the shroud of darkness from the shadows. Many coniferous trees lined the sloping side of the valley. They stretched from the river's edge almost all the way to the top of the snowcapped mountains, with a few deciduous trees scattered here and there. The sight was beautiful. It looked like a scene an artist would give up a limb to paint. Black Fang wondered how such a beautiful sight could exist amid such destruction and devastation. He smiled, however, happy to know there was still hope. "Amazing huh?" Black Fang asked Kain. He looked over at Kain, smiling. Kain had a blank look on his face and it was a few seconds before he answered.

"I don't get it," Kain said slowly.

"Huh?" Black Fang was thrown off. _Was he wondering the same thing Black Fang was wondering? How such a beautiful place could exist in these times?_

"I just don't get it," Kain said again, a little more firmly. "What're we supposed to be looking at?" Black Fang sighed deeply.

"Never mind. Come on, let's go find something to do," Black Fang said, trotting away down the hill, farther from the city walls. Kain and Black Fang eventually found themselves in a much more thick and dangerous part of the woods. Kain trotted along at his own pace without a care in the world, while Black Fang, being the more cautious one, peered around every corner for threats.

The two walked and walked, tumbling over rocks and slipping through gaps in the trees. Leaves rustled nearby, causing both of their fur to stand on end and ears perk up. _It wasn't the wind that rustled those leaves,_ Black Fang thought. _Sweet, finally a challenger,_ Kain thought. Black Fang twisted his head this way and that, while Kain sniffed at the air. Another crunch was heard from some leaves strewn across the forest floor.

"Under here," Black Fang hissed, slipping underneath a small bush for cover. Kain rolled his eyes and slid underneath alongside his friend.

"Really," Kain asked, annoyed. Black Fang shushed him quietly and nodded through the other side of the brush to where the noises were coming from. Kain lowered himself to the ground to see better and peered through the leaves. At first Kain could just see a shadowed figure, obscured by the leaves hovering overhead in the trees. They blocked most of the sunlight, but a few rays were able to make their way all the way down to the forest floor. The figure moved a little and Kain could see a canine-like creature searching the ground for food. It moved over some more until it was in good enough light to see clearly. Fiery red fur, smooth and silky stood out against the dark backdrop. Six tails erupted from its backside, curling at the ends a little. They were big and fluffy, very well kept and manicured. It was a Vulpix. Kain sniffed at the air again. A scent met his nostrils that was very… intoxicating. Kain could almost feel it filling his nose, traveling up his muzzle and swirling around inside his head. Kain's eyes glazed over and his mouth lolled open, his tongue hanging out. The Vulpix shifted its position, its nose still buried in the brush, searching for anything edible. This movement confirmed Kain's suspicions and revealed the source of the intoxicating smell. It was a female Vulpix… and she was in heat. Kain struggled to not let his mouth start drooling. Black Fang could smell it too and he didn't know if he should feel embarrassed or not that this Vulpix was exposed and the two of them were spying on her. Kain realized that his mouth was hanging open. He shut it quickly as Black Fang turned to look at him.

"Come on man, we shouldn't be spying on her like this," Black Fang said in a low whisper to Kain.

"What? Are you kidding?" Kain replied. "This is awesome!"

"No, come on, let's just go," Black Fang said, nodding his head back the way they came from.

"In a minute, I just wanna talk to our new lady friend." Black Fang sighed.

"Just to let you know, I'm not with you on this."

"Relax dude, watch and learn."

"Nothing good ever happens after you say those words." Kain stood up and walked out from underneath the bush they were hiding in with his chest puffed out and his head held high. The Vulpix's ears perked up at the sound and she spun around quickly, her knees bent and body crouched down low to the ground, ready to run away at any sudden movement. "Hey baby," Kain said in his most masculine voice. Black Fang couldn't help snickering. The Vulpix's eyes flashed in his direction, hearing his quiet laughing. Not wanting to scare the Vulpix, Black Fang sighed and emerged from his hiding place. He kept his eyes averted from hers and lay down on the grass, with his head still facing downward. Her eyes flicked back up to Kain, who took a confident step towards her.

"What do you want?" she asked in the smallest of voices.

"Ouch, not even a hi back?" Kain said sarcastically. "Here, I'll start over. Hi, I'm Kain, pleased to meet you. And who're you?" The Vulpix's eyes flicked to Black Fang and back to Kain again.

"Era," she said.

"Wow, pretty name, don't yuh think Black Fang?" Kain asked, turning around, and looking at Black Fang lying in the grass.

"Come on Kain, we should really just go-" Kain cut him off.

"Ah, tut tut, shh, don't be so rude to the lady. After all, she is inviting us with that amazing scent of hers," Kain said turning around to look at the Vulpix with a smile on his face. The Vulpix gasped and her eyes widened. She knew he was talking about only one thing. Her eyes flicked once more between the two of them before she leapt sideways into the trees, taking off at a full sprint. "Oh, this should be fun," Kain said, taking off after her. Black Fang finally looked up.

"What? Kain! Don't!" he yelled, but Kain was already long gone. "Shit." He leapt after them. Kain hurdled through the trees, chasing after Era's noisy running. They ran in between tight trees and leapt over fallen logs. Kain could only catch glimpse of her as she ran. He saw the tips of her tails for a brief second, before they flashed out of sight, due to the thickness of the forest. The trees cleared a little and he saw her jumping across a small stream that cut through the forest. She jumped on a flat stone in the middle of the creek, leaping off of it to the far bank and taking off again. Kain sprinted as fast as he could, jumping and clearing the whole stream in one bound. This closed the gap between them considerably. He was nearly right behind her now.

"Where you going?" Kain called out. "I just wanted to play!" The Vulpix gave no response and picked up her speed, not looking back. Kain grunted and kept up with her. They ran into a small clearing of trees at the base of a cliff. The ground turned from soft grass to dirt here. He Vulpix ran towards the cliff, kicking up dust as she went. Kain smirked, he knew he had her cornered now. She however surprised him, leaping up to a boulder, trying to scale the cliff face. Kain wasn't giving up though. "Come here," he said in almost a snarl. He leapt up after her and swiped his claws at her, trying to grab hold of her flank. He missed his mark, but his claws got tangled in the fur of her tails. The Vulpix yelped as she felt him grab her tails. She frantically tried to dig her claws into the boulder she was on and pull her tail free. Kain was pulling at her, ripping small tufts of her tail out and slowly pulling her back down off of the boulder. The Vulpix let a small sob escape her as she felt herself being pulled backwards. Her paws scrabbled at the rock, trying to pull herself forward and free of Kain. A tear rolled down her cheek just as she felt two of her nails in her front paws break. Kain gave a hard tug and she slid off of the rock and onto the ground next to him, kicking up a cloud of dust. She got to her feet quickly and tried to take off again, but Kain wrapped his front paws around her hind legs and dragged her backwards toward him. She felt his chest upon her back and knew what would happen next. She squirmed and flailed to try and get away, but Kain had her in an iron grip. He opened his jaws and placed them over the back of her neck, biting down just hard enough so she wouldn't move. Kain could feel his member, pressed up flat against her backside. The Vulpix let out fresh and renewed sobs as she felt it too. Kain pulled back to try and reposition himself, thrusting forward again, but missing. The Vulpix cried out to him.

"No! Please, please no!"

"I think you need to learn when to shut the fuck up!" Kain yelled, biting down on her neck harder and forcing her head to the ground as she cried out from the pain. Kain could taste a few drops of blood on his tongue. Kain growled into her neck and tried to reposition himself again. He pulled his length back, trying to feel around with the tip for the source of her intense heat. The Vulpix sobbed louder as she felt his tip poking at her folds. Feeling his mark, Kain drove it home. Era cried out loudly as his shaft was buried deep inside of her. Kain started pumping at her fast and hard. The heat and tightness of her walls was just incredible. Kain's vision and mind clouded over. All thoughts stopped, as did his senses. He felt like he was in a dark room and the only way to escape, was to bury his member as deep in this Vulpix as possible and release his seed. Kain's instincts drove him crazy, only increasing his speed and thrust power. Era's front legs gave way from the pain and he chest slammed into the ground. The only thing keeping her rear in the air was Kain's paws, wrapped around her hind legs. Kain pumped harder against Era's hold, his hips slamming into hers. Era's check was pressed against the dirt ground as she sobbed and cried. Era's eyes were heavy lidded as she felt the pain slowly leave her. The pain had turned into pleasure, but that did not mean she was enjoying it. She hated that this was happening to her and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop it. She hated her body for trying to trick her into thinking it was pleasurable. And she hated that a very small part of her thought she liked it a little. Her cheek rubbed back and forth across the dirt from Kain's rapid movements. A small puddle had collected next to her from her tears of disdain and tears of agonizing pain. Era cried out again as she felt a bulge at the base of Kain's shaft trying to stretch her virgin folds even wider. Kain thrusted harder into Era as he felt his knot pushing against the tight, little hole. Black Fang heard Era's cry and followed it. He burst through the tree line and gasped from the sight before him.

"Kain!" he called out. Kain didn't hear his best friend calling his name, his instincts still clouded all of his senses. _Just a little more, _Kain thought. _A few more thrusts will pop it in._ Kain could feel his climax building. "Kain stop it!" Black Fang called out again, trotting towards him. Kain was so close now. _Almost there._ "Stop this!" Black Fang said, sprinting towards Kain now. Kain gave one final hard thrust, but before his knot tied with Era, a set of shoulders barreled into his side. Kain toppled over sideways along with Era. His member popped out of Era with a small squelch. Era cried out as his shaft was violently ripped from her, pain coursing through her veins. Her hole was left gaping wide open. Just as Kain hit the ground, he shot his hot load from his member, having reached his climax just before he was knocked over. His sperm splashed on the ground and splattered over Era's rear, his shaft twitching and streaming his semen. Era, finally free from Kain, scrambled to her feet and tried to run, but couldn't. The ravaging Kain had done to her, pained her so much, she could only manage a limp. She limped off still sobbing, tears rolling down her cheeks. Kain looked up, his eyes clouded over from his intense orgasm. The last he saw of Era, was her rear disappearing into the trees, her hole still gaping and his seed matting down her fur. He looked down to see his member already halfway retracted into his sheath and his semen covering the tip. Kain passed out from exhaustion, just as Black Fang stood up, after tackling Kain off of Era. _Damn it Kain,_ Black Fang thought as he looked down at Kain's unmoving form. _Well he'll be out for a little while… Might as well go get some food to pass the time by._ Black Fang started walking back towards the trees. _Maybe I could find that poor Vulpix too and give her some comfort… _Black Fang looked back at Kain, still on the ground. _She probably wants to be alone right now though after what she just went through._ Black Fang shook his head as he disappeared into the trees, leaving Kain alone.

It was late in the day, hours have passed. The sun had just disappeared over the horizon and the Murkrow were crying out at the long gone sun. Kain grunted as he rolled over. His eyelids cracked open as he became conscious. His forepaw scraped the ground as he tried to stand up, finally succeeding after a few tries. His legs felt wobbly from fatigue. Kain looked up at the orange and purple tinged sky._ Damn, already twilight,_ Kain thought. _How long was I out?_ Black Fang appeared, coming through the trees.

"Kain, finally you're up. I kept coming back to check on you, but you were out cold." Black Fang whipped his head around as he heard a Pokemon roar off in the distance. Kain shook his head back and forth to try and shake off his fatigue. They could both hear many Pokemon sounds surrounding them. "Come on Kain, we should get home. It's not safe out here after dark with Malak's thugs prowling around." Kain nodded in agreement and the two took off at a brisk walk. Even though it was only evening and not yet dark, the forest was black as night underneath the tree canopy. The forest was full of many sounds, some chilling Black Fang to his very bone. Kain however didn't seem to notice. Leaves rustled nearby as they walked, Pokemon cries could be heard off in the distance and footsteps of Pokemon scurrying back to their nests before nightfall. The forest felt very claustrophobic and uninviting to Kain and Black Fang. Once they reached the stream they had crossed before, the two hopped across on the stones. After the stream however, the forest twisted and turned into eternity. They both started second-guessing their backtracking route.

"Dammit," Black Fang said. "Was it this way? ...Or that way." The trees were too thick to see through to try and see the concrete wall surrounding Hearthome City.

"Ah shit, are we lost?" Kain asked.

"Never say you're lost when it becomes hard to find the right way. If you say you're lost, you might as well be."

"Well, since you didn't reply with 'no' or something like it, then I guess that means we're lost." Black Fang took a couple more steps before stopping and looking around.

"Fine Kain, we're lost."

"Excellent," Kain said, sounding excited. Black Fang turned around, puzzled.

"And how exactly is this excellent then?"

"Dude, this is exciting! Lost in a dark forest, with danger around every corner! It's a rush!"

"Sorry Kain, but I think it's more exciting to be safe and sound, preferably somewhere where I can't be killed." Black Fang looked around again. "And these trees aren't helping, I can't even see the wall!"

"I can burn them down," Kain suggested, a few sparks flying from his mouth.

"Let's be reasonable," Black Fang said, squinting his eyes now to see better through the dark. He spotted a crest in the land that seemed to have a thinning of trees. "Let's head for that hill. We should be able to see the wall from there." The hill wasn't far from them at all and in no time, they were climbing the last few steps to the top. Kain and Black Fang looked around at the landscape. The sun was long gone by now, leaving the sky a deep shade of purple, but not quite yet black. "There it is!" Black Fang yelled out. It was the tiniest portion of the wall, just barely visible over the tall trees. "Come on, let's get home!" Elated, the two of them trotted back down the hill and into the forest again, in the direction of the wall. They ran through the forest, almost skipping from finally finding their way after thinking they were lost in the dark. Black Fang actually laughed out loud as he saw a familiar landmark. That's when laughter cut through the air that was neither Black Fang's nor Kain's. They skidded to a halt, fear flooding them.

"Well where are you two headed in such a hurry?" A voice said from within the darkness of the trees. They both looked towards the source of the noise and saw a black paw step out, followed with a torso and head, wearing an unusual sly smile.

"Come on Raleigh!" Black Fang yelled. "Just leave us alone!" Raleigh's smile faded slightly as he locked eyes with Black Fang.

"Quiet little brother," he said coldly. "My business is not with you." His fur crackled with electricity and a small shock flew through the air, hitting Black Fang in the chest. He cried out and fell to the ground, his teeth gritted in pain.

"Hey! That was a cheap shot," Kain said, stepping towards Raleigh. Raleigh's smile reappeared as his head swiveled around to look at Kain.

"Ah Kain. It has been too long. You have without a doubt grown more powerful since we last met. Have you thought about my proposal since last time?" Images flashed through Kain's mind. The dark forest, Raleigh mouthing the words, "Join Malak," Black Fang's anger at his older brother, Raleigh's cruel and twisted smile. One sound reverberated in his head as the pictures flashed by. Raleigh's voice saying "freedom," over and over again. Yes, he had thought of it since last time. He stayed up late just thinking over everything that he could have. He thought about all of the freedom Raleigh had promised him. _Freedom,_ Kain thought. _Freedom from burdens._ His parents flashed across his vision. _Freedom of words._ Diana's frown blinked in front of him._ Freedom of actions._ Era's tearstained face flashed before him. _Freedom of consequences._ Mytka's disappointed frown fogged his vision._ Freedom._ Kain wanted it so desperately. He'd do anything for it. But would he really join Malak for it? Kain thought about this decision long and hard over the past couple of days. _It's not like I would actually kill anyone. But the power… It's in my grasp. I could have it. I didn't have power. I didn't have anything… Yes,_ he finally concluded. _Power and freedom is what I want. I should seize the opportunity._ Kain looked up at Raleigh.

"Yes," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "I have." Raleigh's eyes narrowed and his smile widened in approval.

"You need not answer, I can see the decision in your eyes. A wise decision it is," Raleigh said, moving over to Kain and placing a paw on his shoulder. "Master Malak will treat you well." Black Fang grunted loudly as he willed himself to his feet. His eyes were closed and his teeth were still gritted in pain. He swayed on his shaky legs as he struggled to stay upright. He opened his eyes and nearly collapsed again, seeing Kain's blank face and Raleigh with his paw on Kain's shoulder, wearing his most evil smile yet.

"K-Kain?" Black Fang asked shakily. "What're you doing? What's going on?"

"Don't you see Black Fang?" Kain asked. "It's better this way. All of the freedom I've been wanting and all the power I could ever want." Black Fang processed these words as he looked from Kain's hopeful face to Raleigh's smirk.

"No," Black Fang said, horror stricken. "No! Kain you can't, please. It's just a stupid trick! I've told you this!"

"You can come with me Black Fang," Kain said hopefully. "You and me, doing whatever we want, whenever we want. We could live the life!"

"Kain, I never want to go back there, it was hell! Please Kain, this isn't who you are."

"But Black Fang, we're a team, we do everything together."

"I'm sorry Kain. But we're not doing this together. You're doing it for yourself and you're trying to drag me along, that isn't a team. And Kain, we are a team, that's why I'm trying to help you see. Trying to save you from… from… this," Black Fang said, gesturing at Raleigh.

"Don't you want to be wild and free?" Black Fang sighed and shook his head.

"Kain, I'm happy where I am at right now… You have chosen your path."

"But Black Fang… We're friends." Black Fang looked into Kain's eyes with an accusing stare that bored right into the center of him.

"No friend of mine would ever join Malak." Black Fang said coldly. "You're not my friend. You've abandoned me." Kain felt as if a large knife just punctured right through his chest. He looked shocked beyond belief that his best friend just said that to him. Kain couldn't summon any words to counter Black Fang's. All he could produce was a blank stare as he soaked in his words over and over again. Raleigh started walking off towards the trees, noticing that the conversation was over. He stopped just on the tree line to turn around and wait for Kain. Kain's face fell as he slowly backed up. Black Fang kept his cold stare trained on Kain as he walked to the trees, to his maniacal brother.

"What is power and freedom without a family," Black Fang whispered to himself. Kain's ears perked up as the breeze drifted past. _Or was it the breeze?_ He turned around to look at Black Fang, swearing he heard him say something. _Maybe it was just the breeze…_ Black Fang turned on the spot and headed in the other direction, back to Hearthome City. As he turned, a single tear fell from his face and hit the dirt at his feet, forever marking where their friendship ended. As Kain reached Raleigh, his head bowed, Raleigh smiled almost gleefully.

"You did well Kain, so now there is only one more loose end to tie up." Raleigh turned his head to look at Black Fang, walking away solemnly. "It is time Orin learns his place." Kain looked in horror at the place Raleigh was looking at. The Luxray's fur crackled menacingly with electricity before it exploded, hurtling through the air. The Thunder attack flew inches above the ground, tearing at the dirt and sending it flying through the air as it continued on its relentless path. Black Fang turned his head around just as the bolt connected with his back. His agonizing scream ripped through the air as he collapsed again. Raleigh however, kept up his brutal attack cackling as his younger brother writhed and twisted on the ground. Kain had to look away as Black Fang's cries peaked and then vanished almost instantly. Raleigh cut off his electricity, his fur still crackling from the voltage. Kain looked over slowly at his once best friend, lying unmoving on the ground. His fur was singed down to the very skin, still smoking from the intense electricity. Kain stared in shock, his mouth hanging open. _Black Fang… He wasn't gone, he couldn't be._ Kain took a step towards Black Fang, wanting to try and help him, but was stopped by a paw on his shoulder.

"Leave him," Raleigh said. "The first step to power is to leave behind your weaknesses, the things that slow you down. Soon you will have no need for burdening friends, you will have servants. He learned his place. Orin was a weakness." It panged at Kain that Raleigh said 'was.' _He wasn't dead_ Kain thought determinedly. _He just couldn't be!_ Kain looked up at Raleigh's face.

"Orin," Kain asked softly.

"Oh? Don't tell me you didn't know," Raleigh said cackling again. "And to think I thought 'Black Fang' was just a cute nickname you two used."

"But Black Fang is his name," Kain said.

"It is not, he has been telling you a lie. My mother, our mother's, dying words as she gave birth to him was that his name was to be Orin. And so it has been all this time. What else has he not told you?" Kain gave Raleigh a puzzled look. "Has he even told you who I am besides his brother? Has he told you who his father is?" Kain looked even more puzzled. _Yes, he has told me. Raleigh was one of Malak's thugs and his father was out there somewhere, roaming._ Raleigh's smile grew. He took Kain's silence as no. "And to think he was your best friend. A shame, it really is. I am Orin's older brother and I am Malak's most trusted person. I am Malak's son." Kain felt a shock run through him as if Raleigh had hit him with an electric attack.

"He… He is the son of Malak?" Kain asked looking over at Black Fang's… well now Orin's, unmoving body. He stared at his unconscious form. His ears lay flat on his head and Kain could not distinguish any form of breathing. _But why? Why would he lie about his name? And he also lied to me about having no family, but a brother and a wandering father. Why would he lie to his best friend?_

"He is," Raleigh said. "But there shall be no mourning for lost burdens. You must show strength to receive power. This is your first step to achieving that. Come Kain, there is much I must teach you." Raleigh started off into the forest, walking slow so that Kain could keep up. Kain looked at Orin's body a second longer before tearing his eyes away and following Raleigh. As they walked Raleigh was telling Kain of all of the things he would receive and the glory about what he was about to become. Kain was only half listening though. His mind was still reeling from all of the events that seemed to go by in a blur. Orin pleading with him, his body falling to the ground, Raleigh's cruel laugh, Orin's blood curdling scream… _What would my friends think of me, or my parents, or… what would Mytka think?_ Kain pictured her face in his head with her disappointed frown. He heard her say "_How could you Kain. He was your best friend and we were your family. You have abandoned us too."_ Mytka shook her head and her form drifted off, replaced by Orin's head now. "_You let me suffer without any mercy. What kind of a Pokemon are you?"_ His face floated away too. He could hear whispering now. Looking around the forest, Kain could see shadowy figures prowling around. Raleigh didn't seem to notice, but kept on walking. There was a figure half-hidden behind a tree to the left of them. It was Ryo. Raleigh didn't seem to notice this either as they passed up the obvious Ryo. The whispering was growing louder. Kain turned around for a second look as he kept walking, his figure dissolved into smoke and blew away with the breeze. Then they passed Luna on the right. Raleigh didn't notice her either. The whispering was audible now. "It's just a stupid trick," Orin's voice rang out inside his head suddenly. Kain looked back to see who said that as he saw Luna too dissolve into smoke. Drake was standing behind the next tree, his face half-hidden in shadow. "I never want to go back there! It was hell!" Kain shook his head trying to rid it of Orin's voice. Kain saw his mother as she slowly withdrew herself back behind the tree she was standing next to. "Kain, you don't know what it's like! Malak kills Pokemon for fun!" Mytka's voice said, bouncing around his head. He saw his father next. He was standing behind a rather thick tree, his knife glinting in the moonlight. Kain gasped inaudibly and looked back as he too dissolved into smoke. "Why would you want freedom when you have a loving family?" Orin's voice echoed inside his head. Mytka landed lightly on her feet as she jumped from a tree branch. She looked at Kain and shook her head. Kain only now noticed that each of the people he passed looked disappointed… almost a little angry at him. "What is power and freedom without family?" Orin's voice whispered almost as if he were right next to his ear. Kain stopped dead in his tracks. For the first time ever in his life, he felt alone.

"Kain, time is wasting," Raleigh said turning around. Kain ignored him, still lost in his thoughts._ I couldn't do this. Not with everyone turning against me because of it. Not if Mytka wouldn't love him anymore. Not if Orin's last wish was for Kain to not join Malak._ "Kain," Raleigh said again more aggressively. _I couldn't do it. I wouldn't!_ His mind snapped back to Orin's body, still lying in the dirt. Guilt flooded him._ Oh no, what have I done,_ Kain thought, looking back. "Kain!" Raleigh yelled.

"What the hell have I done," Kain said aloud, as he turned around and ran back the way he came.

"Oh fun," Raleigh said angrily as he pursued. Kain dodged in and out of trees as he ran through the black forest. He was nowhere near as fast as Raleigh and he was upon him in seconds. Raleigh tackled the small canine, rolling a few times before coming to a stop on top of Kain.

"What're you doing Kain?" Raleigh roared. Kain didn't reply. He swiped at Raleigh's muzzle, striking him across the nose and leaving three red marks. Raleigh growled and recoiled from the unexpected attack, allowing Kain to get up and keep running. Raleigh recovered just as Kain disappeared through the underbrush. "You're turning your back on your destiny!" Kain heard Raleigh yelling after him, but he didn't stop. He knew that he would be in hot pursuit again in seconds. After nearly a minute of sprinting, Kain smelled the stench of seared fur and flesh. He spotted Orin's still body lying in the same position he left it at.

"Black Fang," Kain said distantly, nudging his side with his nose, not even bothering to call him by his real name. His body still did not move. "Shit," Kain said. He nudged his body harder, still receiving no response. He nudged again even harder, so that he flipped over. "Shit! Please Black Fang. Come on!" A tear fell from his eye. A rustle was heard behind Kain. He spun around and saw Raleigh standing there. "You," Kain stated, hate filling his words.

"Kain look, I know it is hard to move on, but if you do, you shall become much more powerful." _He killed my best friend. It is his fault he is dead. I must take his life in return._ Instead of replying to Raleigh, Kain prepared an Ember attack. He fired it at Raleigh, but a Flamethrower attack burst forth instead, due to his rage. Raleigh was able to dodge it easily. "Your attacks are unfocused and wild. We could teach you to control them!" Kain ignored him and just fired Flamethrower after Flamethrower at Raleigh. The nimble Luxray was just too quick for him though, dodging every single attack with ease. His speed, matched with his brutality made him an extremely dangerous foe. Kain felt a strange energy filling his body and he started to charge up a Shadow Ball in front of his jaws. This was the first time in his life that he had ever produced this attack. Kain's concentration broke however as Raleigh charged him and struck him hard in the ribs with a Slash attack. Kain keeled over from the pain as Raleigh pinned him on the ground on his back again.

"This is your last chance Kain. I advise you take it if you value your life!" Kain growled and headbutted Raleigh hard on his forehead, knocking him off of Kain and disorienting him. Kain felt a very strong and powerful energy building up deep inside of him. It felt very different and foreign from the Shadow Ball energy. It branched out from his very soul, extending to every single fiber of his being, until suddenly, he was enveloped in an intense white light. His form grew dramatically. He could feel his torso expanding, his legs growing and his muzzle lengthening. His short and stubby tail grew longer, now with a pointed tip. His metal skull atop his forehead shrunk and was replaced with two gleaming horns, protruding outwards from his skull and curling on the ends. Apart from all of his features changing, Kain could feel a boiling energy in the pit of his stomach. His fire attacks felt much more powerful. Kain quickly stood up and faced his foe. Raleigh looked shocked but still powered up a strong electric attack. Kain quickly shot a Flamethrower attack at Raleigh catching him off guard and singing the fur on his torso. Kain attacked again before he could recover. He disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Raleigh looking around, trying to figure out where he had gone. Seconds later, Kain appeared behind Raleigh and hit him hard in the back with his horns. Raleigh fell to the ground and Kain pounced again, sinking his enlarged fangs into Raleigh's shoulder. Raleigh snarled and shocked Kain, forcing him to release his shoulder. Kain jumped backwards and charged up a Shadow Ball, letting it loose towards Raleigh. He dodged it agilely and glared at Kain before taking off into the trees. Kain snarled at the retreating Raleigh, the Luxray's blood flying from his fangs. He quickly turned his attention to Orin's body. He stared at Orin for a few seconds with guilt written all over his face. He nudged his body again with his nose, still receiving nothing back. A few tears leaked from Kain's eyes. _I did this. It was me._ Kain placed his paw on Orin's body solemnly. He retracted it almost instantly after making contact as if he'd been shocked. He felt a small vibration on his paw. _What?_ He touched his forepaw to Orin's side again. He could feel a pulse. _Or was that my pulse?_ Kain lowered his head to Kain's semi-opened mouth and listened. _There was breathing! He was still alive!_ A few more tears leaked from Kain's eyes as he realized the good news. _But he's just barely alive, he needs help!_ Kain lightly clamped his jaws around the scruff of Orin's neck and picked him up gently. He turned his head around and set him down gently on his back. Making sure he wouldn't slide off, he took off at a brisk walk towards home. As Kain walked through the trees, the wall finally came into sight, along with the hole they had slipped through earlier. Kain looked to his left as he heard some whispering.

"I know that smell mom, its Kain," the whispering voice said. A second, feminine voice rose out of the darkness, also whispering.

"Careful Sol." Kain saw the head of an Eevee peek up from a small hole in the ground next to a large willow tree. It ducked back down quickly as it saw the large Houndoom carrying an unconscious Poochyena on its back.

"Sol?" Kain asked. The Eevee peeked out again.

"Kain? Is that you?"

"Yeah, hey I'm in a hurry… Sorry," Kain said apologetically as he kept walking. The Eevee watched him go as a Glaceon's head peeked out as well.

"Was that Kain?" Gleam asked.

"Yup," Sol said as he hopped out of the den and started following Kain.

"Sol, get back here! It's not safe at night!"

"Kain needs help," the Eevee said simply, still following Kain. Gleam sighed and hopped out as well, motioning for Storm to follow. Gleam looked around cautiously for threats as his Umbreon mate leaped out of the den and took off protectively after Sol, Gleam hot on her tail.

A minute later Kain entered his friend's hideout, Orin still on his back. Kumori hissed and spread his wings wide.

"Invader! What have you done to Black Fang?"

"Kumori!" Diana said, sniffing at the air. "Wait, I recognize the scent… Kain?" Kain nodded as he set down Orin gently. Diana and Kumori got a full look at Orin's still body. "Oh my goodness!" Diana nearly shrieked, seeing Orin's form, unmoving and his fur singed. She swooped down upon him to see his injuries. "What happened?" she demanded. Kain didn't give them all of the details, just stating that he was hit with a powerful Thunder attack. "There isn't much we can do for him," Diana said looking over at Kumori as he nodded in agreement. "We need to take him to the humans and their medicines." Just then Sol bounded through the opening and into the cellar, closely followed by Storm and Gleam. Upon seeing the small broken body of Orin, Storm gasped and looked away, leaning her head into her mate's shoulder. Gleam just stood there, looking at Orin with his blank stare as Storm leaned onto him, a few tears leaking from her eyes. Kain nodded at Diana's statement as Sol approached Orin cautiously sniffing.

"Black Fang?" he asked sadly. With Diana and Kumori's combined help, they lifted Orin onto Kain's back once more. They all followed Kain up and out of the hole, leaving the room empty as they hurried for help. Persia, who was asleep in the corner lifted her head up, thinking she heard a disturbance. She grunted and lay back down to sleep again…

**End Notes:** Well there you have it, I'm sorry if you were all expecting a little faster update, but I'm cranking them out as fast as possible without rushing it! Also I got distracted all March 6th from Pokemon White. IT'S SO MUCH FUN! XD Oh and before I forget, Storm, Gleam and Sol all belong to RisingStorm083. Also, the Floatzel from last chapter, Malak's assistant, he had an owner, but nobody has stepped forward yet. Ah well, anyway, like I said earlier, all of you readers, create a Fan Fiction account! This way I can actually reply to your reviews! Well, that's all for now, PLEASE review! They give me so much inspiration and help me with my writing! Thank you all for your support and I'll see you next chapter!


	25. Bloodshed In the Wind

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 25: Bloodshed In the Wind**

**Author Notes: ** Hello once again and sorry for the long pauses between updates. As you all know, life can be a bitch or a beach, whichever it feels like at the moment. Too much shit to deal with right now and as a result, my writing has of course suffered. I won't elaborate much more than that in fear of boring you and scaring my faithful readers off. I will say however, that this story is winding down to a conclusion shortly and I'm going to space out updates. There can be two options and I'd like to hear from ALL of my readers (yes including anonymous readers (P.S. get an account so I can reply to your reviews!)) on which option each one of you would prefer. I'll explain more in the end notes of this chapter, so make sure you read them! Anywho, on to business, this chapter is one of my favorites so far and definitely a lot of important events take place, even though they are subtle. Not much action, but very important nonetheless. I'm ranting like usual, so let's go. I only own my OC's, everything else belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. Enjoy!

P.S. The start of this chapter takes place at the same time last chapter started.

**Recap: **Kain finds his friend's hideout, Kain chases down Era and does something unforgiveable, Kain and Black Fang get lost in the woods, Raleigh finds them and convinces Kain to join Malak, Black Fang is brutally attacked and injured, Kain goes back for his friend and fights Raleigh, Kain carries Black Fang's body to find help.

**Alex**

I woke to the smell of breakfast the next morning. For a second, I felt like I was at home, until I opened my eyes and felt the strangeness of the bed and the foreign paint of the ceiling that made me realize I was not in my room, but Kurt's guest room. I rolled out of the bed to see that I was the last to rise, besides Drake. _Wow even Kain had woken up before I had._ I made my way down the stairs and the first thing I saw was Mytka in Kurt's kitchen, busying herself with breakfast. Luna was behind her trying to pry her away from it.

"Mytka dear, please go and sit down. I'm all right with making breakfast, you should go relax," Luna said.

"Mom, I already told you, I'm already doing it and more importantly I want to finish making breakfast. You make breakfast every morning, you go sit down and relax. I'll be all right mom," Mytka replied, turning her head and smiling warmly at her mother.

"You're such an angel," Luna said, placing her paw on Mytka's cheek and smiling back. "Good morning Alex," she added without turning around. I jumped as she addressed me. _I didn't think she knew I was there._

"You know, I really hate it when you do that, it creeps me out," I said moving over to sit on the couch with Karyme. She was gazing out the window at the city, bathed in light by the rising sun. She turned her head to look at me as I approached and she smiled joyfully, her tail actually wagging a little. I sat down next to her and returned her smile.

"Aura reveals everything," Luna said coming over to sit with us. She sat down on the loveseat across from Karyme and me, folding her paws in her lap.

"Kurt wanted me to tell you to make yourself at home," Luna said. "I woke up early, just in time to catch him going out the door. Oh and Ryo had decided to accompany him. Kurt had mentioned something about training and Ryo had seemed very interested." I nodded. "So have you girls seen Kain anyway?" I asked. Luna shook her head, Karyme's smile faded slightly and Mytka turned her head around to look at me, shrugging her shoulders. I sighed. _When will he turn around and be the cute little pup we used to have running around?_ At that moment, Mytka announced that breakfast was ready, so I pushed the thought to the back of my head and stood up off of the couch…

… A large darkened cavern unfurled, filled with obedient servants, before a master's eyes. It was the daily meal for the hungry servants. There were Pokemon fighting over chunks of meat and bone. Some were quietly eating what portion of food they did have, eyeing the others around them for potential food stealers. A few had enough food for themselves, but they were sharing what little they had with other weaker Pokemon who couldn't fight for their own food. The master looked down on these servants with cold, hateful eyes. He did not approve of weaklings. As thoughts of punishing the Pokemon who shared their food floated through his head, a Floatzel approached the master. His footsteps were slow, filled with caution and fear, trying to display his respect.

"Master Malak," the Floatzel said with a small bow as an announcement that he was there.

"Ah yes, perfect timing Blake," Malak said, looking at the Floatzel with a single eye, his back still turned to him.

"Master Raleigh has departed and Emily, the human is awaiting orders."

"Good," Malak said, turning around and walking through the narrow cavern. The Floatzel followed. "She shall be one of the only humans that are somewhat useful to me."

They traveled deeper and deeper into the mountain. Pokemon they passed bowed deeply and murmured 'Master Malak' as the two passed them each. Soon they were in a level of the mountain that was the deepest and coldest. They entered a chamber where screams could be heard echoing from within its depths. Upon entering, they could see many Pokemon shackled to the outer walls by Psychic energy. In the center of the room, was a very flat rock, coated a deep red from blood. An Ursaring was chained down on his back on the table while a strange looking Gardevoir stood over him. His skin was red as was his hair. His long dress that flowed around him was a pale white spotted with blood. His lower jaw was completely missing, and in place was a strange metal prosthetic one. He drew a single finger over the Ursaring's stomach cutting the skin and searing the flesh it passed over. The Ursaring screamed as he watched his belly being cut open.

"You'll think twice before crossing Malak now won't you," he muttered quietly as he worked. "Won't be disobedient anymore, huh?" With his other hand he made a large metal poker fly into his open palm. It began to glow red hot from his Psychic powers. Pointing the tip at the incision, he slowly slid in the searing hot metal into his stomach. "Slowly and carefully… don't want to puncture any organs… must keep you alive… must feel the pain." The Ursaring roared out in agony from the intense burning from inside of himself. He struggled against the binds that held his ankles and wrists. "Well you can't squirm, gonna puncture something now," The Gardevoir muttered quietly. "Better stop squirming or it'll be the end of you," he muttered, his eyes growing wide in annoyance. The Ursaring shook violently, blood starting to pour from his open mouth. "Well that would be your lung then," he said, looking at the Ursaring's face. "No worries, plenty more victims here…" The Gardevoir yanked the poker out of the Ursaring's stomach, bringing it up over his head. He plunged the poker down into the Ursaring's chest, sinking the hot blade all the way through his body. The large Ursaring was already dead from the metal poker stabbing through his lung and drowning in his own blood. The Gardevoir left the object lodged in the Ursaring's chest and walked over to Malak and Blake and bent down on one knee in front of Malak.

"Master, how may I serve you?" The Gardevoir asked respectfully.

"Well Nihilus, I see you made short work of that traitor," Malak said, nodding towards the dead Ursaring.

"Yes, he wouldn't renounce his ways and follow your leadership, he had to be… persuaded."

"It is obsolete now. I'm looking for that Umbreon, where is he?" Nihilus raised a thin, deathly white finger and pointed to an Umbreon that was shackled to the walls. His eyes were the only thing different from a normal Umbreon. They were a gorgeous emerald green color, but they were very calm despite himself being chained to the wall, seeing a Pokemon murdered before his eyes, and being requested by the most vicious and evil Pokemon to walk this Earth. "Bring him to me," Malak said. The Gardevoir waved his hand from where he knelt, freeing the Umbreon from his binds and levitated the weak body over to beside Nihilus. He used his psychic powers, forcing the Umbreon's face to the ground in a bow. "So Reive, I have decided to give you a second chance, a luxury I rarely give. You can redeem yourself and achieve pride and glory. This isn't an offer it is an order. If you refuse I can promise you that Nihilus here can do much more painful things to you. Am I clear?" Reive looked up at Malak with disdain written on his face.

"Yes Master Malak," the small Umbreon said.

"Good, you'll have accompaniment on your mission, follow me." Reive reluctantly followed Malak and Blake from the room. They walked a little further down the cavern until they came to a large room with two Machoke guarding it. They stood at attention as Malak approached and both said "Welcome, Master Malak," simultaneously. The room was full of beaten Pokemon who have not yet learned obedience, some lying dead from their brutal punishments. Some Pokemon were deposited in the corner of the room after being victims of Nihilus's torturing. Two prisoners stood out however. They were human and isolated from the rest of the captives. Their clothes had been completely removed from them. Malak liked how humans felt ashamed if they aren't wearing any cloth garments in front of others. He absolutely loved this. It taught the humans their place compared to Pokemon. Malak approached the both of them. He saw his first human prisoner, the one with the blue hair looking at him fearfully. She was his communicator with the other humans. Malak saw that she was curled up on the fur mat she had been given. Malak had ordered that the humans have something to keep them warm because of their lack of fur. Not out of kindness, but because they would freeze to death. He provided only enough to keep them alive, not to get comfortable, whether it was warmth or food. The other human was new. She had sought out Malak to help him. She was particularly adept in her powers. She had psychic abilities hardly any human had. She had pledged herself and her powers to his cause. Yes, she would be the most useful. As Malak stopped before them, the two girls looked up at him. The blue-haired human, fearfully and the other human, eagerly. The two Machoke grabbed the humans by an arm and forced them forward, onto their knees at Malak's feet. "You," Malak said, nodding at the new human. "You will travel to the human city with Reive here and seek out the human called 'Alex'. If possible, you will try and bring him to me. If you refuse or try and flee you shall be killed. Are you clear on your orders?"

"Yes Master Malak," the girl said. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me serve you." She crawled forward and leaned down to kiss his forepaws. She was met with a slash across the face.

"You dare touch me?" Malak roared. "Filthy humans. Your skin and flesh is barely worth being in my presence! If you dare approach me again without my permission, it shall be your neck!" The girl submissively bowed before him in apology. Malak grinned evilly at the two humans. "Now, since I am here, how about you pathetic humans make yourselves useful to me." They both knew what he was talking about. The girl before Malak turned around on her knees and bent over, presenting herself to Malak. The other blue-haired girl whimpered.

"Please, I'll do anything but that," she said in a small and scared voice. A strong open hand from one of the Machokes struck her across the face. Malak smiled at her with his evil smile as he mounted the other girl.

"Quiet, human. You're next," he said as he pushed into the other girl.

"It is an honor Master," the girl said from beneath Malak. Her breasts swung back and forth from Malak's hard thrusts. The blue-haired human started sobbing. _Why was this happening to her,_ she thought…

**Alex**

I walked the empty streets with Karyme beside me as if she were my shadow. Mytka, Drake and Luna, walked ahead of us, chatting about the training grounds we were going to check out. According to what I picked up from the others, the park in the center of the city used to be a recreational area for everyone, before Malak took over. Now however, it was being used as the training grounds for the Sinnoh Resistance. There were specific Pokemon that trained other Pokemon of the same type on their attacks. For the humans, there were weights, obstacle courses to test agility and weapon trainers to help with your weapon skills. They discontinued their firing range to train firearm skills, to help conserve their already low ammunition reserves.

Upon entering the park, it was exactly how I imagined it. There were groups of Pokemon scattered throughout the park. Fighting, Psychic, Fire, Electric, Water, Grass, Dark, Flying, Rock, Ground, Steel, Bug, Normal, Ghost and other types were grouped together. One leader could be spotted amongst each group, teaching the others to hone their elemental attacks. Mytka looked around in awe at all of the battling Pokemon.

As we walked through, a man walked up to greet us. He looked like he had an inch on me and was much more buff than I was. He had some scars running down his arms, but other than that he looked flawless. He smiled at us with a warm and toothy smile, looking happy to see new faces. He wore cargo pants, held up with a large belt. His torso was covered with just a vest jacket with many pockets on the front, exposing the middle of his chest. Overall he looked like a strong man with confidence, but with a compassionate side.

"Well hey there!" he said. I shook one of his large hands as he extended it to me. "You must be Alex, I heard you might be coming down today. My name is John and I'd like to welcome you to my training center."

"It's a great setup here," I said in amazement. John's smile returned.

"Come on, I'll show you around the place." The first thing he showed to us was the Pokemon training circles. We walked up to a large group of fighting Pokemon led by a very strong Lucario.

"Sara!" John called out to the Lucario. She looked over at John and smiled.

"Continue!" Sara shouted to the group of fighting Pokemon practicing their various Fighting moves. Sara walked up to John and gave him a loving hug.

"This is Sara, the most special thing in my life." Sara smiled at him and placed her paw on his arm.

"What he means to say is, my name is Sara and the two of us are together, partners." I grinned at them, Karyme looking up at me and smiling. Luna walked up to the front of the group.

"Hello, I am Luna," she said somewhat nervously. "I would love to join in on your training program," Luna said to Sara. Sara looked Luna up and down.

"We train hard," she said. "Are you up for it?" Luna nodded.

"Yes, I am ready to train," Luna said determined.

"Well come on then," Sara said, leading Luna over to the group. Luna looked back at Mytka and motioned for her to follow. Mytka shook her head. _Mytka didn't want to train?_ I couldn't ponder anymore on it as we moved on. We stopped at almost every Pokemon group. Drake left to train his fire attacks. I thought Karyme would follow him, however, she said she really wanted to work on her dark attacks. By the time we had come back to where we started, we had met all of John's Pokemon. Jessica, a very stunning Gardevoir, led the psychic group along with her mate Albert. He was a very intelligent Alakazam. He seemed a bit quirky at times, answering us in short sentences and muttering to himself occasionally as he thought, but he seemed really polite. Lily was a very beautiful Milotic and she was helping out the Water Pokemon. She seemed a lot like Luna, very caring and gentle. In contrast to her, we met John's final Pokemon Drakon. He was a very strong and proud Dragonite that led the Dragon group. He was an ideal leader for them. However as opposites attract, Lily and Drakon were mates as well, it sort of reminded me of Drake and Luna a bit.

John stopped in front of the human training grounds. I noticed that Mytka was still following us quietly. John seemed to notice this as well.

"Well, what's wrong Miss Mytka? Didn't any of the training groups interest you at all? Didn't you want to train alongside your mother?" Mytka looked up at John nervously.

"Yes I would, but I was really hoping to train more of my Aura powers." John held up a hand to stop her.

"Say no more Mytka, I have just the solution." John called Sara over again. Sara left a Hariyama in charge as she walked over. "You see we don't have many Lucario here in Hearthome, otherwise we would have a group just for Aura training. Sara here is very adept in her Aura powers and she teaches individually."

"What's this about Aura?" Sara asked as she finally walked up behind John.

"Mytka would like to train her Aura." Sara grinned.

"I asked your mother if she would like to train her Aura as well, but she was content with just fighting moves." Mytka walked over to her looking excited. For a brief second I saw Mytka as a little bouncy Riolu again. _She sure did grow up fast._ "I was hoping to have another Lucario to teach." The two walked off and I turned to John.

"Well, whaddayuh' got for me?" I asked. John laughed and led me into the training grounds.

"Anything you'd like to use you can," he said cheerily. I looked around and saw humans working with weights, sparring with each other, practicing take down maneuvers and so much more. It wasn't only humans though, there were Pokemon scattered here and there building up their basic skills as well. I was glad to see in these dark times, everyone single person was training to be able to combat the evil that Malak was trying to spread across Sinnoh. It showed signs of hope.

The day went by fast. We all trained hard and it was even a lot of fun. John laughed, not believing me when I told him my only weapon was a knife. He told me I should try out some other weapons. He let me try out short-sword training with a Scyther. I tried out a small one-handed axe, but it felt too barbaric. He showed me throwing knives, but I wasn't coordinated enough for that. I also failed at long range weaponry, missing the target by five feet with the crossbow. With the rifle, it was a different story. I actually hit the target, but it was on the outer rings. It was also after I forgot to cock it and then again I forgot the safety was still on. All in all, my knife felt that much more special to me. _Tomorrow I would just train with my knife._ Just before we left, we heard that Luna had a small accident, resulting in a bruised paw. So we walked back up the streets towards the Pokemon center so we could get Luna some help. Drake was carrying her in his arms as she was in no shape to walk. Karyme headed home with Mytka and Ryo to greet Kurt and make up a soft bed for Luna. I thought of Kain as I looked up at the darkening sky. The sun had set already, leaving the sky a deep shade of purple, but not quite yet black. _Where did he run off to today? He was probably with his friends. Ah well, I just hope he's all right, wherever he is._ The cool evening breeze played across my face as we walked. It was so relaxing and calm to walk along the empty streets at twilight. I was wearing a t-shirt and my hands were buried in my pockets of my shorts as we strolled down the sidewalk. Drake and Luna were beside me as the Pokemon center came into sight. Luna sighed.

"I remember the first time you carried me in your arms," Luna said dreamily as she snuggled her head into Drake's chest. "I was injured then too, remember?" Drake smiled.

"How come you never carry me in your arms? I wanna be the damsel in distress!" Drake and I laughed hysterically. Luna smiled and punched him playfully for ruining their moment.

We walked into the Pokemon Center, a refreshing blast of cold air meeting us. I guess the Pokemon Center was really the only air conditioned building in Hearthome. _Probably to keep the patients comfortable and calm, to prevent bacteria growth, or to prevent people from sweating and contaminating the place._ Nurse Joy greeted us, less cheerily than usual, but with the same effort. Her hair which was usually pulled up all nice and cute was dishelved and messy. There were bags under her eyes and her eyelids were heavy-lidded from lack of sleep. _With the constant fighting going on, I guess she has a lot of patients to keep her busy._

"Hello, what can we help you with this evening?" Nurse Joy asked. Drake stepped up to her, Luna still in his arms.

"I bruised my paw pretty badly during training earlier today," Luna said, showing her her paw.

"All right, it doesn't look like anything serious, but let's go take a look at it just to be safe shall we?" Nurse Joy replied smiling. She helped Luna into the medical room leaving Drake and I standing there. We walked over to the lounge area and Drake collapsed on the couch. Drake groaned loudly as he settled into the cushions.

"Ahh, yeah… That really hits the spot." I kicked up my feet on the couch across from him. I was beat as well. My muscles felt really sore after lifting the weights. _I guess I haven't really exercised since I left home for the first ti-_ I stopped… _I remembered leaving home for the first time with Jade._ _It seemed so long ago, but her face was still fresh in my mind… I missed her… She was my very best friend. My only friend really. I never really talked to anyone in school, only Jade and my close group of friends._ I looked up at the ceiling, still lost in my thoughts._ I wish she were here with us right now._ I was distracted by the door of the Pokemon Center opening with a ding. A Houndoom strolled through the doorway._ A Houndoom? I haven't seen another Houndoom since I started my journey apart from Karyme._ My mind flashed back to when I was little._ My mother telling me all of the stories of evil and frightening tales of how evil and wicked Houndoom are. They scared me as a child, but I outgrew it after a couple years. The stories never left my mind though, sticking with me to this day. I was a little more cautious towards them though_. I thought back to that first night I met Karyme_. I was so scared of her, but after talking and getting to know her I felt a large unexplainable attraction to her. She didn't seem evil at all to me, nothing how my mother made Houndoom sound. _I started wondering if Karyme was so nice because of her wonderful personality and if all Houndoom really were evil… I looked over the back of the couch again at the Houndoom. He looked around the Center impatiently. Behind him, more Pokemon entered through the doors. A Glaceon, and an odd looking Umbreon that was shaded red. Another Umbreon and Glaceon walked in as a pair and tagging along behind them was a very small Eevee. They came up behind the Houndoom and looked around as well.

"Hello?" the Glaceon, standing next to the red Umbreon shouted. "We need help here!" I looked at the Houndoom again and noticed a small bundle on his back. _It looked like a Pokemon…_ _A badly hurt Pokemon!_ It was unmoving, letting off a foul smell of burned flesh and singed fur. Its fur was charred on the ends and its skin looked even more burnt. I heard footsteps running down the hallway almost instantly. Nurse Joy burst through the double doors with a worried face. She took one look at the Pokemon on the Houndoom's back and gasped.

"We need to get him to the O R quickly! Please, do you have a Hearthome ID tag or number?" The Pokemon looked between each other, confused. "I can't provide care unless you do." They looked up at her, still confused as to what she meant. "Did any of your trainers give you ID collars?" Nurse Joy looked like she was on the brink of tears as no one answered. "I-I'm sorry. But I can't help you, our supplies are low as it is and we can only use them on Hearthome residents, and… and… I'm sorry," Nurse Joy said bowing her head. The Pokemon looked around at each other nervously, but the Houndoom glared up at Nurse Joy. I noticed Drake was watching the scene as well. I looked over at him and he looked down at me. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"Please!" a voice suddenly bellowed. I looked back over at the other Pokemon and saw the Houndoom speaking. "He's my best friend! You have to help him, he's only just alive." Nurse Joy sobbed a little and backed away, her head still bowed and her shoulders shaking. _Wait, I knew that voice. It was Kain's! …But… did he evolve?_ I looked over at the Houndoom as I stood up. The Houndoom looked over at me and locked eyes with mine. We stared at each other in stunned silence. I took a couple of steps towards him.

"Kain?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's me dad, but what are you-" I jabbed a thumb down the hallway next to me without taking my eyes off of him.

"Luna," I said, taking a few more steps towards him. "Hurt her paw." Nurse Joy looked between both of us.

"Is he your Pokemon Alex?" she asked. _Was she talking about Kain, or the Poochyena on his back?_ Either way, I replied with a 'yes'. "Oh thank heavens. We need to get him to critical care, stat!" She pressed a button on her computer and a Chansey appeared with a small stretcher. Nurse Joy helped the Chansey move the small Pokemon from Kain's back to the stretcher. She zoomed him off down the hall, once again, leaving me standing there. Drake walked up behind me and looked at Kain.

"So you evolved," Drake said, more as a statement than a question. Kain nodded.

"How'd you do it?" I asked.

"Orin and I were having fun playing when his brother came out of nowhere. He's one of Malak's goons, actually he is his son."

"Whoa, his son?" Kain nodded.

"Yeah, Orin is Malak's son too, but they didn't want him, they threw him out. He's on our side, I promise. Well, so his brother came out of nowhere and attacked him." Kain paused for a moment. "I tried to defend him and ended up battling with him. I evolved and drove him off." Kain's story ended and silence followed. I noticed Kain's friends looking at me. I looked over at them as well, but they all averted my gaze.

Nearly an hour later, Luna emerged from the back along with Nurse Joy. Her paw looked fine, but she walked with a slight limp over to us. She hugged Drake and kissed him on the cheek, assuring him she was fine. She looked at Kain and smiled.

"Hello Kain, you look like you're doing well," she said.

"H-How did you know it was me?" Kain asked.

"Well, Aura reveals all Kain. You may have changed physically, but your Aura stays very much the same."

"So, you mean you can see people and know who they are by looking for their Aura?" Luna smiled.

"Well, if I really wanted to yes, but I just see normally most of the time. I could find anyone in a large crowded area if I wanted to, just by searching through all of the Aura life surrounding me." Kain looked awestruck, as did I. _That seemed really cool._ Nurse Joy walked up to me with her hands folded in front of her.

"The young Poochyena will be just fine," Nurse Joy informed me. "But how could you let that poor little Pokemon wander around on its own?" Nurse Joy asked me angrily. "In today's world, it isn't safe for such a young thing to be without its trainer." I couldn't do anything but sit there and take it. She continued on for another minute or two, telling me my responsibilities as a trainer and how I needed to be more careful. After she had finished, she bade us a good night and ushered us out of the Center.

We walked back through the darkened streets. Luna and Drake walked ahead of us, Luna clutching Drake's arm for added support. Kain walked beside me for once, instead of lagging behind. I noticed subconsciously that his strides were just like Karyme's and his tail flicked back and forth with every step he took, just like Karyme's did. He was built a little larger and his horns were thicker and raked farther towards the back of his head. He looked up at me. I smiled down at him and a weak grin tugged at his face as he looked back down again.

As we walked up to Kurt's house, Mytka opened the front door and let us inside. Her face looked confused as she watched the Houndoom stroll through the door.

"Hey Mytka," Kain said, a little disheartened. I could tell her mind was putting the pieces together just as I had.

"Kain?" she asked. Kain smiled up at her and nodded. The five of us made our way into the kitchen to eat our dinner. Kurt was sitting at the table, just finishing up his food. He greeted us cheerily and inquired about our day at the training facility. He showed concern for Luna's paw as we told him about it, but Luna assured him she was quite all right. Karyme entered the kitchen at that point and I smiled warmly at her.

"We made a soft bed for you in the other room," Karyme told Luna. Karyme looked at me and her face instantly brightened up. "I'm glad you're back Alex," she said with genuine happiness. Kain strode past me, right up to Karyme and nuzzled her neck affectionately.

"Hi mom," he said. Kain grinned at her before walking back over to Mytka to talk with her. Karyme looked at me, shocked beyond belief, with her mouth slightly open. I could tell from the look in her eyes, she was demanding that I tell her what had just happened. I shrugged looking just as confused as she was.

The night carried on, everyone eating dinner joyfully. It was late by now and it was bedtime. Luna took her soft bed graciously in the other guest room with Drake. Kain and Mytka told us they would be sleeping in the living room tonight on the sofas. _They had talked the whole night and I guess they wanted to talk some more._ Karyme, Ryo and I took the room we had slept in the previous night. We gave Ryo the bed and Karyme and I slid into our old sleeping bag. It was so warm and comfortable to be sleeping next to Karyme. Her naturally warm body and soft fur embraced me and helped me drift asleep. Karyme smiled as I wrapped my arms around her. She licked my cheek and tucked her head into my chest as we both slipped into the world of slumber together…

**Kain**

Kain awoke the next morning early. He picked his head up and yawned widely, blinking his eyes in the bright morning sun. He felt some pressure on his side and looked down to see what it was. He found Mytka resting her head on his side. Kain remembered back to last night. They had both fallen asleep on the couch together. He remembered that Mytka had asked Kain if she could sleep next to him to keep warm. Kain looked at her sleeping body, curled up next to his. She looked really cute to Kain while she slept. Kain tried not to disturb her as he slowly slid out from underneath her. Mytka's paws reached out and wrapped around his neck as he shifted slightly. Kain looked down at her and saw her eyes still shut as she slept on. As much as Kain liked Mytka's arms around him, he still slid out from underneath her. He set her head down gently so he wouldn't wake her. Kain wanted to head to the Pokemon Center to see Orin. He needed to know his best friend was okay. Kain looked at Mytka one last time. She was still all curled up and cute looking. Kain sighed and leapt out the same window he used yesterday morning. Kain trotted down the streets towards the Pokemon Center. He walked through the sliding doors and was greeted by a cheery Nurse Joy.

"Good morning. I assume you're here to see your friend?" Kain nodded at her. "He's in recovery at the moment. I'll show you to him, right this way now." With a very warm smile, she led him down the hall and into a small room. Orin was lying on his stomach in one of the soft beds. He was hooked up to the machines at the head of his bed. Wires protruded from his spine, legs and neck. These confused Kain, but he guessed they were to help Orin recover. Sunlight poured in through the window, making the clean floor glimmer. Orin's eyes were open and staring out the window. His face however looked down and depressing. It was almost as if he were looking out the window, just lost in the confusion of the world. Nurse Joy knocked to announce she was there. "You have a visitor, little one. Now isn't that just wonderful?" Orin looked over at Nurse Joy solemnly. "I'll leave you two alone now. Call if you need me." She bowed and left Kain at the door. Orin looked down at Kain, looking deep into his eyes. Despite Kain evolving, Orin could still tell it was him. Orin broke eye contact and turned his head the other way, looking out the window again without saying a word. Kain knew he would be mad at him, but he was determined to tell him how very sorry he was. Kain walked over and stood next to his bed.

"Hey O- Black Fang." Kain had almost said 'Orin'. He thought it was probably better to tell him he knew his real name later. Orin gave no notice that someone had said hello to him. He continued gazing out the window. _Well,_ Kain thought,_ if there was any time to say it, it was now._

"Look, Black Fang. It was stupid what I did. I'm sorry for not believing you about Raleigh. I didn't realize what he was really like, what he'd do to me. I didn't know what I was thinking. But what I'm really sorry for is for betraying my best friend. I'd do anything to reverse what I did." Orin continued staring out the window. The eye that Kain could see turned to look at him slowly.

"It was a pretty shitty thing you did," Orin said. Kain stared into the single eye that was looking at him. It was Orin's, but it didn't feel like his. It was missing the friendly glint. "I can tell you are giving me the truth though, I've never seen you like this." Orin looked back out the window again. "But I'm not going to forgive you overnight Kain, just like that. You went too far this time." Kain opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it, knowing Orin had ended the conversation. Feeling defeated, he muttered goodbye before retreating from the room. With no more business being there, Kain left the Pokemon Center and headed for his friend's place. Kain never really noticed the city before. Kain looked at the people and Pokemon. They all looked happy, despite the dire situation they were in. _They looked happy to be alive._ They laughed as they walked down the streets. Kain gazed up at the ravaged buildings high above him. The sunlight bounced off of the glass and down upon Kain in a brilliant glow of yellow and warmth. It was as if Kain's senses had been numb this whole time and he was just now waking up to the world around him. As Kain continued walking, he started looking at all the people he passed. Some just walked by and others looked down at him with a smile. Kain stopped as he felt a tug on his tail. He turned around and was met with a young girl throwing her arms around his neck.

"Mommy mommy, look at the big Pokemon!" the little girl said. Kain felt a little uneasy. She was about a foot shorter than him and was hanging off of him as she hugged him. Kain didn't like to be touched by strangers and he would've thrown her off if she wasn't so young. "Mommy, can he be my Pokemon? Can he, can he?" A woman walked up to Kain and picked the small girl up into her arms. Kain sighed in relief to be free.

"Honey, you know better. That could be someone else's Pokemon," the mother said. She kissed her daughter on the cheek and began to walk off. She smiled down at Kain as a sort of apology before she disappeared into the crowd. Kain shook his head, thinking about how strange that situation just was. He kept on walking towards his friend's place. Kain had made up his mind over the course of the past few hours. He was going to tell everyone what really happened to him and Orin last night. With any luck, they might see how sincere he is with how very sorry he was. He rounded the final corner as the familiar alley came into sight. Sighing deeply, he ducked down through the hole and into the dim cellar. At first Kain thought it was empty, but then he heard a shuffle from the far corner. He looked over and saw the second room with the door. That door was always shut tight whenever Kain was here, because Diana and Kumori said they tried, but couldn't open it. Today, however, it was open. Kain went to go investigate and found Persia roaming among the room's contents. It was full of boxes, furniture and a lot of clutter. There was no pattern to the contents. It was all random things. Children's toys overflowed from one box, while the box next to it was full to the brim with tools. It was like this for the whole room, with random contents. Persia picked her head up and smiled at Kain, blushing a little.

"Oh, hi Kain. I didn't hear you come in."

"Hey Persia. Where is everyone else?"

"They said they were going to find food. Oh and they said they were going to see Black Fang or whatever." Persia looked Kain up and down slowly. "I heard you evolved. You look good." She looked at his rippling muscles beneath his skin and his thick legs and paws. "Really good," she added, her voice a little husky. Kain saw where she was going and instantly tried to steer out of treacherous waters.

"So how'd you get into this room then?" Persia frowned.

"Oh, I just forced the door open." Silence followed her words as they both stared around the room awkwardly. Kain spotted an old-fashioned couch and walked over to it. Its cushions were thick and the fabric was patterned with flowers. Kain leapt up onto the couch. It was unbelievably comfortable. Persia climbed onto the couch as well and settled herself down next to Kain, scooting right up next to him. Kain tried to put a little space between them but he was already on the edge of the couch.

"This is my favorite thing in this room. This is definitely where I'm going to sleep from now on," Persia said, looking up at Kain. Since he evolved, he was bigger than Persia was. Usually Kain had to look up at her, but now it was the other way around. Persia liked that. She liked that a lot. She licked her lips, still looking up into his face. Kain didn't notice this, as he was staring around the room at its contents. "So," Persia said seductively. "Would you like to take a nap right here?

"No thanks, I woke up just a few hours ago," Kain said, still looking at all of the clutter in the room.

"Oh are you sure? Aren't you feeling even a little sleepy?"

"No I'm really-," Kain started, turning his head to look at Persia. Kain's eyes were pulled into Persia's gaze. Her eyes were glowing a violent shade of purple, locking Kain in her gaze. The harder he tried to pull away, the more he stared, the sleepier he got. His eyelids drooped unwillingly and his body began to feel very heavy. In a matter of seconds, Kain was fast asleep.

"Oh my, you sure do look tired to me," Persia said as the purple faded from her eyes. "Goodnight Kain." She lay her head down against Kain's neck and fell asleep as well…

**Alex**

"Come on Scyther, let's pick it up!" John shouted. I grunted in disapproval. John had me training with a Schyther. We were sparring with his blades and my knife. Scyther, being an expert blades man, showed me ways to block and counter strike. Right now, Scyther was attacking and I was blocking. I was already moving as fast as I could, but now Scyther was moving even faster. "You got it Alex, keep up with Scyther's pace!" I grunted again, trying to stay coordinated enough to block all of his attacks. Sweat started to form on my brow. "All right, pick up the pace a little Scyther!" I gritted my teeth as Scyther's attacks came at me faster._ Shit, I can't do this._ A drop of sweat rolled down my forehead and fell into my eye. I blinked hard to try and clear it, but I took too long. Scyther's blade came swishing down and hit the handle of my knife, millimeters from my index finger. I lost my balance from the powerful attack and fell to the ground.

"Shit," I said, pushing my sweaty hair out of my face.

"I'm sorry if that was too much for you," the Scyther said, standing over me.

"You okay?" John asked, extending a hand to help me up.

"Yeah, I'm all right," I said, grasping his hand and standing up. I looked over to where I heard my knife clatter to the ground. All I could see were two distinct pieces. The blade and the handle, severed where Scyther's blade had hit it. I picked up both pieces in either hand and stared at them. _My knife… It was broken and there was no way to repair it. I went through so much with this by my side and now it could be with me any longer._ I grasped both parts in my right hand. _No, I'll keep it with me._ I slipped the blade back into its sheath and put it in my pocket along with the handle. _I couldn't throw it out after all of the shit this little blade has pulled me out of._

"I apologize for breaking your weapon," the Scyther said from behind me. I turned around and tugged an unwillingly smile onto my face.

"Nah, it's all right, it's only a knife." _The truth was that this knife was a part of me, the third most important thing in my life, following Karyme and Kain. _Just the thought of using something else to defend myself tore at me.

"You know, we can get you a real combat knife now," John said. "Your knife looked like a hunting knife, not to good for real combat yuh' know." I nodded in false agreement. John disappeared into a side room and reappeared within seconds. He held a sheathed knife in his outstretched hands. The scabbard was made out of thick leather and colored a deep jet black. The handle was suede wrapped, burning a deep crimson red color. John handed me the weapon and grinned.

"This is our most standard knife. It should be an almost perfect match to yours." I pulled the blade out of the leather. The blade shape was similar to mine. On the top was a serrated edge and a small hook blade. It looked almost like a utility knife. Slipping the knife back into the scabbard, I looked up at John.

"This is great, thank you," I said, faking my smile. I pocketed the sheathed knife. "I'm just gonna run to the bathroom real quick." John nodded as I exited the building and set off for the bathrooms across the park. They were a separate building in a shaded area of the park. As I walked up to the building, I rounded the corner and once I was out of sight, I stopped. I pulled the knife out of my pocket and held it in my hand. I stared at it for a good minute._ It didn't feel right. It didn't feel right in my pocket, it didn't feel right in my hand and it didn't feel right by my side. I felt lost without my old knife. What would I do in combat? Would I falter and let my guard down? Would my fighting still be the same?_ As all of these questions flew through my head, I became angrier and angrier that my old knife was finished. I gripped the knife hard in my hand and threw it against the wall of the bathrooms. It hit the wall and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Well, well, well. Somebody is angry," a voice said from behind me. I spun around and saw a woman and an Umbreon standing there. The Umbreon stared at me without blinking. He seemed absolutely determined to stare me down with his emerald green eyes. The woman just looked frightening to me. Her hair was all dishelved and messy, like she just got off of a motorcycle. Her clothes were tattered with rips and holes in them. She stood with her hand on her hip, giving me a triumphant smirk. She started walking towards me, the Umbreon following her like a shadow.

"So, you're the Alex kid, huh?" She was walking around me now, it felt very awkward. I could smell the distinct odor of wet fur on her. "Humph, looks like nothing special to me, but the Master wants him brought back, Reive," she said to the Umbreon. _The Master… That could only mean one person. She worked for Malak._ My eyes darted to the knife on the ground. _If I could just get it, I'd be much better off._ I edged towards it nonchalantly. The girl smiled as if she could read my mind, knowing what I was doing.

"Oh you won't be needing that now." She stepped in between me and the knife. The Umbreon stood next to her, watching my every move._ I wasn't taking any chances._ I curled my hand into a fist and threw it at her face. My fist was halted by an unseen force, inches from her cheek. A purple Aura surrounded my whole body so that I was unable to move or budge at all. The girl's eyes flashed a bright purple and I was thrown forcefully. My back slammed into the wall of the bathrooms. I gritted my teeth and grunted loudly as pain shot up my spine. In a flash, the girl was in front of me, pinning my arms to the wall. She was still wearing that triumphant smirk on her face. Her eyes were glowing bright purple and her hair was floating, as if she were in zero gravity. "Well, I guess you've decided you're not going to come along easily. No matter, Reive and I have more than enough power combined to bring you along with little effort." _Shit, how would I overcome both of them at once? And this girl… She had psychic powers! This was going to be impossible._ The girl's smile, widened even further. My thoughts came to a screeching halt as a brilliant light, followed by intense heat flooded my senses. The girl was thrown off of me as a powerful Flamethrower engulfed her. I looked over to see who my savior was and saw Karyme. Her face was livid, her eyes spitting its own fire. Her lips were curled back in a snarl, displaying every one of her razor sharp teeth. I locked eyes with her for a split second, her eyes becoming warm and loving as we did. They changed back to hatred as the Umbreon rose up. He snarled as well, rearing to attack Karyme. Karyme didn't back down, releasing an equally ferocious growl.

"No! Don't Reive," the girl shouted. She was just recovering from Karyme's attack, her voice hoarse from receiving such a strong blow. "Master specifically told us that he was our priority and we were not to harm the girl!" The girl picked herself up off of the ground. She glared at me. "Innocents will die for your selfishness." Leaving me still stunned with her words, she grabbed onto the Umbreon and disappeared in a very bright purple flash. I realized I was holding a breath in and let it out as I turned to look at Karyme. She hurried to my side as I bent down on one knee and hugged her. She licked at my cheek affectionately.

"Are you all right? You aren't hurt are you?" Karyme asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," I said with a smile. "Thanks to my girl." Karyme smiled back at me.

"Who was that? Do you know?" A frown came across my face as I remembered the girl who had appeared and disappeared so suddenly. What shocked me more was that she had used psychic attacks.

"I don't know," I said distantly…

**Kain**

Kain felt very warm and comfy as he came to. He cracked open his eyelids seeing shelves and boxes. _The room,_ he thought. _I was still in the room._ He shut his eyelids again to try and remain in the blissful state he was in. He felt something moving against his side, but dismissed it as nothing. _It was probably only Persia anyway… Wait, the room, Persia, and I'm waking up just now… _Kain's eyes bolted open. He looked down and saw Persia's heavy lidded and seductive eyes gazing at him. Her body was leaning up against his.

"You look so cute when you're asleep and so sexy when you look at me like that," Persia said lustily. Kain tried to push her off, and stand up, but Persia rolled over on top of him. She purred lowly, her eyes still heavy lidded. "Where do you think you're going big boy?" Persia said giggling. "Don't you want to stay here and play with me?" One of her hind paws felt around and found Kain's fuzzy orbs, playing with and fondling them.

"No Persia, stop. Get off of me," Kain said calmly.

"Don't you want some of this?" Persia licked from the base of his neck, all the way up to his cheek.

"Get off of me!" Kain yelled. He shoved Persia over to the other side of the couch. He quickly stood up and left the small room. Persia tailed him.

"But baby, don't you love me?" Persia asked solemnly.

"Not like that Persia," Kain said angrily as he leapt out of the cellar, leaving Persia alone…

A dark and misty cavern, barren, save for the echoing yells, cries and screams bellowing from its depths, stood still as night drew. However at that moment, a girl and an Umbreon appeared out of thin air with a brilliant flash of purple light marking their entrance. They both hurried up the passageway, barely making any noise. Their path became blocked as a blackened figure draped in shadows stepped out in front of the two.

"Who's there?" the Umbreon asked.

"It's me, Blake," the figure said. Through the dim light, the two could make out a large Floatzel blocking their path. "I hope for your sake you bring good news, Master Malak isn't all too happy right now."

"We were, uhh… Unsuccessful," the girl said.

"I am sorry to hear that," Blake said. "Let us hope he won't retaliate too harshly." Blake turned around and led them down the passageway to a small antechamber. Yelling could be heard from the room and when they entered, they found Malak in a rage. "Master Raleigh has just returned, failed at his attempt to recruit young Kain," Blake whispered to the two following him. They watched as Malak yelled at the top of his lungs and smashed objects, rampaging violently. There probably wasn't a Pokemon within a quarter mile who couldn't hear his rage. "He isn't taking it too well…" Raleigh stood at the other end of the room, watching his father yell, scream and break things. He didn't even flinch as a shard of rock bounced off of his forehead. Malak finally wheeled around, realizing there were others in the room besides himself and his son. "Master Malak, I have brought-," Blake started, but was cut off by his master.

"You!" Malak thundered, glaring at Emily. Using his Agility, he was in front of her in a split second. His nose was inches from hers as he stared her down. "Where is he? Where is Alex?" Emily gulped in fear.

"My Master, he didn't want to come easily, so we used force, but his Houndoom mate stepped in and stopped us. We followed your specific orders to not harm the Houndoom." The most murderous look came across Malak's face and his tone was livid.

"Get out of my sight before I act upon my instincts and make sure not one bit of you remains to soil this ground that you stand upon," Malak said in a voice just above a whisper. Emily didn't even bother teleporting because she didn't think she would be able to as fear flooded her. She ran from the room, with Reive hot on her heels. Malak turned around and walked calmly over to where Raleigh was at. Blake followed cautiously, keeping a fair distance between them. "Both of our plans to get an upper hand on Alex have failed," Malak told them simply. "Alex is the only threat standing between me and my goal, he must be eliminated at all costs. We have something that he does not though and it shall be his downfall." Malak looked back at Blake. "Rally the pack, make sure everyone is there."

"Yes master," Blake replied with a bow. Blake turned around and a loud Screech echoed from his mouth. All around the cave systems, upper and lower, Pokemon's ears perked up, hearing the loud Screech. They knew what it meant, it was the 'Call.' As one, they followed the sound to the main cave chamber, in the very heart of Mt. Coronet. Nearly a quarter of an hour later, all of the Pokemon were gathered. Malak stepped out onto the raised platform to speak to all of his followers. He was greeted with a loud roar that died down nearly instantly when he began to speak.

"Every single soul in this room should remember today and mark it as the most important day to Pokemon. Tomorrow, you should all celebrate for years to come! Today marks the last day of the human's reign and the day that the Pokemon of this land finally take charge! For centuries, us Pokemon have been enslaved and used for their heinous reasons. Hard labor, using our overpowering strength to create luxuries for those humans, while we ate the scraps they threw away! While us Pokemon bowed before them and licked their feet clean! Our abilities, using our special powers to cater to their every want and desire. Mounting our very backs, using us as transportation because they cannot fly, they cannot swim, they cannot scale a mountain and they cannot run as fast as us. Using our Electric abilities to power their buildings, our Water powers to keep their bodies cool, our Fire attacks to keep them warm. Why? Don't you see it? Don't you see why we are better than they are? Because they cannot do the things we can!" Silence followed his words as he paused, before continuing in a serious and grave voice. "The blood of our fathers… The blood of our sons has been spilled for these vile creatures. No more!" Malak's voice rang throughout the cavern again before he continued. "But they do not realize the gravity of their situation. They are blind to all of the odds that are stacked against them! They cannot overpower us! They cannot match our strength!" A loud roar in approval rose from those words. "They cannot unleash the elements as we can!" Another loud roar echoed throughout the cave. "They cannot match our speed!" Another roar rang out. "They cannot and will not stop us! We shall rise, and a new era where Pokemon rule shall dawn!" The roar in the cavern became thunderous. "One thing that the humans definitely cannot match, are our numbers!" Every single one of the Pokemon in the room roared in approval. The chamber stretched into eternity and every single space was occupied by a Pokemon. They crowded the floor, rock and fighting Pokemon clung to the walls, flying Pokemon were perched on rock pillars, ghost Pokemon floated above the others on the floor and ground Pokemon burst from the very rock and dirt. Each and every one of these Pokemon were fighting capable, holding a place in Malak's grand force. All of them could and would take life from another. Each Pokemon roared, from the far reaches of the cavern all the way to the front, each adding to the drone of noise. Thousands upon thousands of Pokemon, rearing to rip, kill and destroy anything they were told to upon a single command of their master. Malak grinned viciously as he looked down at his bloodthirsty followers. At his army. "Now is the time! It is our right as Pokemon! Tonight we prepare and tomorrow," Malak cackled. Tomorrow, we rule!" Malak thundered above the droning roars in his loudest voice yet. Malak's grin stretched to his most evil smile yet. Nothing could even dream of stopping him now…

**End Notes:** Phew, long chapter huh? Well looks like you sure can expect some action next chapter! Oh and what I meant about spacing out updates is this. I can either keep updating like I am now, getting them out as soon as I can, but each update might be a month or two apart, or I can write until I estimate that I'll finish the story and release each chapter exactly a week apart so that you guys won't have to wait so long for updates. So it's either wait a month for an update or wait a couple months then release them every week. Leave your answer in a review or send me a PM. Anyway, please review as always! I have received great feedback from readers that helped me know what you guys approve of and disapprove of in my story. It really does help a lot. I will try and update more frequently, I'm not quitting this story! I will update ASAP. I'm sorry for the delays between the chapters, but I'm trying my hardest to get these out quickly! Thank you to everyone for reading and I hope to see you again next update!


	26. Exordium

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 26:**** Exordium**

**Author Notes: **Yeah, yeah, throw your tomatoes and bananas at me now, I deserve it for taking ages to update again! Well I am back and I bring unto thee a new chapter! As some of you may have noticed, I changed my name to Houndude, just liked it a lot better! As you have all voted in my little question I had asked last chapter, the results are… a tie! Spooky, but it came out 6 to 6. So I will compromise. I will upload next chapter whenever I can, but the chapter after that will come exactly a week after (and I mean exactly, down to the very minute.) Also, I have a fun poll on my profile that I think you will all enjoy, so please take a look and vote! So I'm going to shorten this up and get on with it. *Insert disclaimer here* You know the drill, roll it!

**Recap: **Malak sends Emily and Reive after Alex, Alex and friends go to the training grounds, Kain rushes Orin to the Pokemon Center, Kain visits Orin and gets hypnotized by Persia, Alex breaks his knife (sad face) but keeps it, Alex and Karyme fend off Emily and Reive, Malak gathers his followers to attack Hearthome!

Opening up the fridge, I pulled out a can of Oran Berry Juice. I popped open the lid and sat down on Kurt's couch. The sun was just rising over the old city as I gazed out the open sliding door at the rear of Kurt's house. Looking at the rising sun and hearing the Pidgey and the Starly chirping was really relaxing. Everyone had left to go train, but Kurt had called earlier, requesting I wait for him. He said he wanted to talk to me about something important. So here I waited, sipping at the can of juice in my hand. _I wonder what he wanted to talk about…_

**Kain**

The sliding doors of the Pokemon Center opened with a ding as Kain walked in.

"Good Morning," Nurse Joy greeted him. "Your friend is awake this morning, but he is still in recovery at the moment. Would you like to see him?" Kain nodded yes. Nurse Joy led Kain down the familiar hallway, but entered a different room than yesterday. This one was more compact and only had a single bed in it, once again occupied by Orin. He was lying on the bed with his head on his paws. He looked just as solemn as yesterday. "Your friend is here to visit again," Nurse Joy said cheerily. She smiled warmly before walking away. Kain walked into the room, Orin picking his head up and watching Kain.

"You know, I admire that you came to visit two days in a row, first thing in the morning," Orin said.

"Well you know I really want to keep you as a friend. I feel horrible and I wanna make it up to you any way I can. I want you to be my friend Black Fang." Orin sighed.

"Look, don't call me Black Fang anymore." Kain looked up at Orin hopefully. "I haven't been exactly perfect either. I've been lying to you about my name, and my real name is… well it's Orin. And I'm that bastard's son… Malak, I'm his son." Orin looked at Kain to see his reaction to what he thought was new information. Kain's mouth was hanging open. Orin thought it was because of what he had just told him, but Kain was actually shocked that Orin had told him out of the blue, just like that. Kain struggled for something to say. He couldn't tell Orin he already knew. It'd make him feel bad if he knew that Kain found out from his older brother.

"So why did you change your name then?" Kain finally asked.

"Well mostly because my father gave it to me and you know exactly what kind of guy he is. See, the story is that, when I was born, Raleigh was my older brother and unfortunately still is. I was there when my father murdered my mom. I saw it! Right in front of me! I know what he really did and I had to keep my mouth shut or it would have been my neck next. He tells everyone though that I was the reason she died. That she died giving birth to my egg. It's all a lie! I never knew why my father and Raleigh were so horrible to me, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm not a vicious, bloodthirsty killer like they are. They took it in turns attacking me and every week I had a new scar to show for it… They wanted me to be like them, but in the back of my mind, something told me it just wasn't right. So I had no choice but to disobey them and take their punishments. But then there was one day when he gave me one last chance to prove myself "useful" to him. He told me it'd be my life should I refuse or fail. He told me to go and kill one of his men's pups to send him a message. That was when I knew I had to get out of there. So I set out, looking like I was following his orders and when I was far enough, I took off. I never ran so fast, for so long, in my entire life. I ran and ran until my legs screamed and broke down and only then was when I felt safe." Orin looked out the window, his mind distant and far away. Kain could tell he was really lifting a lot of weight off of his shoulders. "The reason I changed my name was because it was the only tie to him and Raleigh after my mom died. Even though she had given me the name, I still had to change it just so I wouldn't feel any connection to them anymore." Orin closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth slightly. "But you know, I realized a little while ago that I am who I am and I can't change that. My name is Orin, not Black Fang and I'm going to live with that. I realized I can't run anymore, I have to fight and stand up to them." Kain was secretly relieved to be calling him by his real name instead of getting confused with two different names. But there was still one thing Kain didn't understand.

"So why didn't you tell me this all before when we first became friends? Kain asked.

"Isn't that obvious though? I didn't want to lose the friend I had just made because of who my father is. I thought you'd be scared for your life of what I'd do to you if you knew."

"Well I'm not running now, so you know what I think of that," Kain said smiling. "I know you're not going to kill me or something, you're my best friend."

"I know Kain and I-", Orin was cut off by a large explosion and everything in the Pokemon Center rattling. Everything was quiet for a moment until Orin spoke. "What the hell was-", another explosion went off this time louder and causing a few potted plants on the shelves to crash to the floor. It was quiet again as the fragments of the pottery skated across the tile. Kain thought he knew what was going on.

"Shit," Kain whispered. A second later, the loudest and largest explosion rocked the Pokemon Center. The lights went out and Orin's bed lurched forward. Out in the hallway, Orin and Kain could see debris blow by the door with great force. Kain and Orin hurtled out into the hallway to see what had caused the massive explosion. They found half of the Center ripped apart and nearly the entire roof of the lobby blasted away. Out of the gaping hole in the roof, the two of them could see Pokemon soaring high above the city. They were using their attacks, aiming at the buildings and people on the ground. A scream rang out through the Center. Orin and Kain looked down the long hallway that was torn asunder and littered with debris. They saw a Shiftry walk across the hall, dragging Nurse Joy by her collar. She struggled and kicked, screaming as she got dragged into another room. Kain looked at Orin.

"We should help her," Orin said.

"Yeah, let's do it," Kain replied. Orin took off down the hall, with Kain behind him. They slowed as another mini-earthquake shook the Pokemon Center. Orin halted and turned around to face Kain.

"So do we have a plan here?" Orin asked. Kain shrugged his shoulders.

"Just thought we'd do the best we can to hel-" Kain stopped, seeing a large metal beam, loosened by the shaking ground, falling behind Orin. _Orin couldn't see it with his back turned. It was going to crush him!_ Kain leapt at Orin and shoved him out of harm's way. Kain leapt out of the way as well just as the beam smashed the tile floor to pieces. Through the small cloud of smoke, Orin looked over at Kain. He gave Kain a curt nod before taking off down the hall again to help Nurse Joy…

**Alex**

I heard some small explosions from where I was sitting. I stood up and hurried to the window to see what was going on. I saw some flying Pokemon and dragon Pokemon soaring high above the city, shooting their elemental attacks at the ground below them. Some Pidgeot and Staraptor were dropping exploding Electrode and Voltorb on the buildings and people below._ Ah shit, not another attack and this soon too!_ The lock on the front door clicked and the front door swung open. Kurt hurried inside and shut the door quickly, locking it behind him.

"Kurt, what's going on? Is it another attack?" I asked. Kurt looked at me very seriously.

"Yeah, I think so," he said gravely. He looked out the window real quick before looking at me again. "Look, no time to explain. But basically, I got a squad of eight men. One of my men, Roger, great guy, anyway he was… K.I.A. in the last attack. So I'm one man short. I keep six men with me at all times, no matter what and I usually send the other two of my men to the front gate wall during an attack, both of them being expert marksmen. They help out the other guards in case they try a frontal assault. Now Roger was one of these marksmen." He nodded at me and I understood what he was asking.

"You need me to fill Roger's place?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, but don't worry. If this was a seriously life-threatening task, I wouldn't put you on for it. There just really is no one else I can contact at the moment so it's up to you." He clapped me on the shoulder and led me to the door. We walked outside to see seven men in total. Kurt led me over to a group of six. They were wearing heavy armor colored black. The same attire that the squad of men that escorted us into Hearthome City had. I couldn't see any of their facial features as we walked up to them, because of the full-head helmets. Only their eyes could be seen through their visors. Kurt grabbed his gear and began to put it on. As he was pulling his torso armor on, he addressed me.

"John told me you weren't a complete dunce at shooting. Even if you got anything to shoot at, it should only be twenty to sixty yards from atop that guard tower." I breathed a mental sigh of relief. I hit the target at the range at one hundred yards away. _Yeah, but the target was four feet wide and I missed the center by a foot and a half, not to mention I took ten whole seconds to line up my shot, I forgot to turn the safety off and I didn't even cock it._ Kurt had all of his gear on and threw his rifle's strap over his shoulder.

"Derek!" Kurt called out to the seventh man, standing by himself. He looked up at us as we approached. He was the only one that wasn't heavily laden with black armor. He wore a brown heavy-duty shirt, with half sleeves and numerous pockets on the front. He wore cargo pants with black combat boots. He had a very blank and bland expression written on his face. "Derek, this is Alex. He's gonna be your second today." His eyes locked with mine, being almost equal in height.

"Hey," I said, extending my hand.

"How yuh doin'," he replied, shaking my outstretched hand. He suddenly turned his head and coughed really hard, spitting on the ground next to him. A large explosion went off in the city behind us. Kurt spun around to see the damage.

"We better move," he said, readying his rifle and taking off with his squad. "You two get moving too!" He yelled over his shoulder at us. Derek held out a rifle for me to take.

"Here, this one is a semi-automatic carbine." I took the weapon into my hands and looked it over. He tapped the scope with his index finger. "Four times optical scope. Perfect for targets twenty to eighty yards away." He pointed at the stock. "Cushioned, reduces recoil." He picked up a vest and handed it to me. "Put that on. On your right you got a red dot sight. You also got spare clips, already ammo'ed up. Spare rounds are in the pouches on your left. If you run out of clips, you have to put the ammo back in the clips yourself. Load up the rifle so I know you know how to get it." I opened up one of the pouches and pulled out a clip. I shoved it into the gun and pushed the bolt forward, loading it. "Good, you'll be fine. You got five round clips and it'll go fast, I can promise that." He pointed at the trigger. "Safety's above the trigger, keep that off, we're in an orange zone." I nodded.

"All right, I think I've got it."

"Great, let's move then." Taking off, we ran down side streets and through narrow alleyways. We headed down the sloping streets towards the front of the city. _We weren't too far from the front of the city already and Hearthome City wasn't exactly a metropolis._ From a quick judgment, I guessed we were only a kilometer or two away from the front city's walls.

We turned down another smaller side street, nearing the enormous wall. We walked down the sidewalk. Derek walked with a quick pace, his rifle slung over his shoulder. I was at the ready, with my gun held in both of my hands. We were about halfway down the street when a door from one of the rundown shops flew open and out ran a female Nidoran. She made it out into the street before an Arbok pounced and struck her from behind. Its teeth sunk into her neck, stopping her from going any further. Derek and I ducked behind a parked minivan before the Arbok saw us. Surprisingly enough, Derek's gun was still slung over his shoulder. I crouched down on one knee next to Derek who was squatting. I listened to try and hear what was going on. All I could pick up was a choking sound. Derek peeked around the corner of the car at the scene going on in front of us. He snorted and pulled his head back behind the van.

"These sick mother fuckers, I'm telling yuh," he said with a crooked smile on his face. He nodded at an alleyway across the street from where we were hiding. "Think we can make it to that alley?"

"Yeah, let's do it." Derek peeked out again and bolted across the street. I ran after him, trying to keep my shoes quiet. It was a failed attempt as all of the loose ammunition in my pockets jingled around. I glanced over at the large snake as it heard me. It picked up its head and hissed, spitting poison and blood in my direction. Derek and I continued running until we were sure the Arbok wasn't chasing us. We slowed and stopped to catch our breath. I was keeled over panting while Derek seemed to be looking around at the buildings. He frowned and looked down at me.

"That Arbok threw us off course," Derek stated. "The perimeter wall is real close, just over these buildings." _I noticed how he said 'over' the buildings._ "Come on, let's go. Yell if you need me to wait so you can catch up." Derek leapt up on top of a parked car and pulled himself up onto a low roof. He motioned for me to follow. I did the same as he did, climbing up ledges, ladders and anything else we could find. We climbed high until we stood atop an apartment complex. The barrier wall was built right next to the building, connecting the two. An iron gate barricaded the small doorway that accessed the top of the wall. I thought we had hit a dead end until Derek pulled a key out of one of his pockets and unlocked the padlock and chain. We stepped onto the concrete wall, Derek shutting the gate and locking it behind us. He motioned for me to follow him and we started walking down the large concrete formation. We walked past men hurrying in the opposite direction. The attacks from the flying Pokemon were still going on. A fire team was lined up against the railing, facing inwards to the city. They had their sniper rifles trained on the Pokemon soaring high above, trying to shoot them out of the sky. As we passed them, a high ranking officer shouted at the men.

"Keep dealing your fire on those bastards!"

We eventually came upon a doorway to a tower that stood over the entrance to Hearthome City. Derek rapped sharply on the door three times. We heard footsteps thundering down the stairs and then a voice called out to us through the heavy wooden door.

"What's the phrase?"

"May the wind and water flow freely throughout Hearthome and this land," Derek stated loudly. There was a series of small clicks and the door was swung open, granting us access. We climbed the stairs to the top until we came out onto a small balcony. It overlooked the road leading out of Hearthome City. _I was down there only a couple days ago…_ Derek and I walked to the chest-high wall on the edge of the tower, which was made out of solid concrete. It was perfectly formed to use as cover. Derek pulled his rifle from his back and aimed it over the wall, looking through the scope. He scanned over the area, adjusting the knobs on his scope occasionally. After about a minute, he leaned his rifle up against the wall and sat down, also leaning up against the wall with his back to it.

"We're good for now, there's no movement," Derek said, pulling a cigarette out from his pocket and lighting it up. I sat back against the wall next to him. Derek exhaled a long breath, cigarette smoke billowing from his nostrils. "So you here with others I guess?"

"Yeah, my mate, my son and my friends. They're out there in the park." A small trace of worry lingered off of my words. Derek nodded slowly, taking a long hit off of his cigarette.

"They'll be fine. Never seen a tougher guy than John." Derek exhaled his smoke again. "Well except for Kurt maybe. All I'm glad for is that we have a guy with his head on straight running the show here." He stuck his cigarette in his mouth and started adjusting the clasp on a holster that was stuck to his side. "So you aren't from around here eh?"

"No, I came from that southern region, Leynoh." Derek raised his eyebrows and looked at me.

"No shit, huh? Wow, yeah, you're from out there all right. I was born and raised right here in Hearthome City. This is my hometown, my turf and I'm gonna defend it to my last breath." Derek turned his head to look at me. "So that means I'll kick your ass if you're horrible at shooting," Derek laughed and punched me playfully on the shoulder. I chuckled along with him.

"So how about you then? Who're you fighting here for? Is there some special girl waiting for you?"

"Mmhmm," Derek replied, nodding his head. "Very special girl." He reached inside his shirt and pulled out a small photo. It was a picture of a very beautiful woman standing by the ocean. Her feet were in the wet sand, facing out towards the open water. She wore a long flowing white dress that looked absolutely stunning on her. Her head was turned around, smiling at the camera with her pearly white teeth. Her long brown hair shone in the sunlight, silky and smooth, snaking down her back. But the thing that really caught my eye was the bump on her belly and her hand holding it.

"She's very beautiful," I said, handing the photo back to him.

"Gorgeous, man." Derek slipped it back inside his shirt, in the front pocket. "She headed back to Sandgem Town right before the Pokemon took over, to visit her mother. That's where the attack hit first." Derek took another hit off of his cigarette before flicking the butt over the railing. "But she's okay, I just know it. She's a smart girl." We were interrupted by a guy barreling through the door.

"They're forming out on the tree line!" he said, loading up his own rifle. Derek and I scrambled to our feet as another man ran through the door and into the tower. Derek was already against the railing, looking through his scope. The second man and myself formed up on the railing next to each other.

"Damn, there isn't many. This is almost a joke," the man next to me said, a small chuckle hidden in his statement.

"I wouldn't be so sure, there's always more than meets the eye in these kinds of situations." Just as Derek finished speaking, a loud microphone crackled to life from the adjacent guard tower.

"This is guarded territory and you are trespassing! Turn around now or you will be fired upon! I repeat, you will be-" the man was cut off as a large Blastoise fired a powerful Hydro Cannon attack, hitting the other tower. A gunshot rang out as a bullet pierced the Blastoise's forehead, knocking it over backwards. A loud roar rose over the Pokemon around the tree line. They started advancing slowly, more Pokemon appearing behind them. _Shit, there could be hundreds more hidden in the trees!_ The large group of Pokemon started charging for us.

"Open fire!" Derek yelled. The crackle of gunfire echoed over the loud roars of the Pokemon. I looked through my sight and targeted a charging Glameow. I took a breath and pulled the trigger. The stock kicked against my shoulder as the rifle fired. The bullet soared right past it, hitting the ground behind it. I cursed and tried to find another target, eventually locking onto a Flareon. I pulled the trigger again and felt the kick of the rifle against my shoulder. The bullet hit the dirt right at the Flareon's feet, making it jump. It danced around my bullet and kept charging. I didn't lose sight of it though. I lined up my shot again and fired. This time I hit it in its flank. I watched as it tripped and fell to the ground. _I hit it? I really hit something!_ My thoughts came back to the moment as I heard two loud bangs and then a splintering noise from the stairwell. Footfalls thundered up the stairs as something climbed them._ Those were too heavy to be human feet._ Derek broke away from the railing and turned around just as a Primeape appeared, coming up the stairs. He ran over to meet it and swung his rifle hard. The Primeape threw up its fists a second too late as the butt of the rifle collided with the side of its head. The Primeape toppled over and Derek jumped on top of it, pointing the barrel of his rifle on its forehead. He fired and killed it just as a Machoke appeared on the top of the stairs. I was the first thing he saw and he growled, lunging towards me. I quickly raised my rifle and fired without hesitation. The shot punctured his chest, making him stagger but not stop. Derek pulled a knife from his boot and tackled the Machoke before it could collapse onto me. He stabbed it through the throat, ending its life after suffering another fatal wound. I was breathing hard after the sudden attack. Derek pulled his knife from the Machoke's throat and grabbed his rifle off of the ground.

"Come on, let's get back to it," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. I tried to keep shooting and steady my aim, but I missed a lot of my targets, only killing an Electrike and a Lairon. The Pokemon eventually gathered some grass and poison Pokemon to shoot back at us with Pin Missile, Poison Sting, Bullet Seed and Razor Leaf attacks. I could hear the whizzing sounds of the projectiles as they shot past and the "tinging" sound of them bouncing off of the walls. I continued firing, reloading when needed, trying to take out the grass and poison type Pokemon firing at us. I had to take quick shots before taking cover again from the strong attacks. A carefully placed shot would most likely be lethal. I popped up and quickly looked through my scope. I spotted a Cacturn, firing its deadly Pin Missile attack at us. I aimed and pulled the trigger, hitting its upper torso and causing it to fall over. I ducked back down again, ejecting my empty clip and pushing a fresh clip into my rifle. I pushed the bolt forward, loading a bullet into the chamber. I swung my rifle up onto the wall and peeked down the sights again. The first thing that I saw was a rather large and mean looking Tyranitar glaring right at us. A small white ball of light was glowing in front of its mouth, growing larger. My heart jolted when I realized what it was.

"Umm, Derek?" I asked. "We have a problem here."

"Ah shit," Derek said. "Everyone get down now!" The four of us ducked and hit the deck just as a dazzling white light and a sound like an explosion cut through the air above us, right where all of us were just a second ago. I looked up from the ground as the white light faded and saw that the roof of the tower we were in was ripped to pieces. Only a couple of rafters and braces were left standing, along with a small section of the actual roof. Everyone else stood back up and formed again on the railing and began to deal fire back. I watched with blurred vision and a loud ringing in my ears. "Come on Alex, get up!" Derek yelled through the haze. The grass and poison Pokemon were doubling their attacks. Their projectiles were ricocheting off of the walls and railing now. I watched the man that stood next to me this whole time as he stumbled backwards and fell flat on his back. I looked over at him and saw a large Pin Missile needle sticking out of his forehead. Blood was oozing out of his head, trickling down his face and into his hair. His body was still, as he was dead before even hitting the ground. His mouth was left gaping and his eyes were still open, staring blankly at the ceiling._ Shit._ I tore my eyes away and started crawling back towards my rifle. It was lying about ten feet away after being blown out of my hands from the Hyper Beam attack that hit the tower. A loud crash stopped me as wood splinters and chunks fell down on top of me. I ducked my head down and threw my hands over the back of my neck and head. A large Dragonite had crashed into what remained of the roof, completely tearing it off and taking most of the walls with it. _Shit!_ I kept crawling until I grabbed my rifle and pulled it up to my chest. I spun around and sat with my back against the railing, holding my gun close to my chest._ This isn't what I signed up for. I'm not made for a fight this big!_ A blast of warmth and a bright light clouded my senses. I gasped as I realized that a jet of intense flames had completely engulfed the man next to Derek. I could hear his agonizing screams through the roar of the flames. He stumbled backwards, flailing his arms in an attempt to put out the scorching fire surrounding his body. He kept moving backwards until his feet hit the edge of the tower. The walls, which had been completely been demolished by the Dragonite, left nothing to catch the man as he tripped over the side and fell. I couldn't believe what I was seeing as I watched the man disappear from view.

"Come on Alex!" Derek shouted. "Don't think about it!" I tried to pick myself up and help Derek but I just couldn't. Fear held me glued to that wall. I knew if I stuck my head up, I would surely get hit. _What the hell? Kurt said this wouldn't be dangerous!_ I heard three dull thuds and Derek grunting loudly, causing me to look up. He looked down at his chest where we both saw three large needles from a Pin Missile attack sticking into his chest.

"…Fuck," Derek whispered, dropping his rifle. He fell to his knees, clutching his side and staring at the needles.

"What should we do?" I asked, gawking at his wound. Derek shook his head.

"We've lost this one. We need to fall back and regroup with everyone else."

"No, I meant what should we do about…," I gestured at his chest to finish my sentence. Derek looked down at his chest and sighed, shaking his head again. A loud screech rang out through the air. We both turned around and saw a Flygon barreling towards us. Before it collided into us, Derek and I dodged out of the way. I stood up and unsheathed my new knife. Derek stood up as well behind the Flygon. He grabbed the needles in his chest and broke the ends off, emitting a loud grunt in the process. He tore his shirt from his chest, leaving only his white undershirt, soaked through with blood on the front of it. He pulled his knife from his boot and looked at me.

"Get out of here Alex," he said. The Flygon roared at me, spreading its wings wide. Before it could make a move, Derek climbed up its back, reaching over its shoulder with his knife and sunk it into its large red eye. It screeched loudly, rearing back fiercely. It flailed its tail and wings, trying to shake Derek from its back. I wanted to help Derek, but I couldn't get close without getting hit. I had to dodge out of the way as its tail came swishing around to meet me. The Flygon stumbled and swayed, getting close to the edge of the tower. _No, they were going to fall over the edge!_

"Derek, look out!" I yelled, warning Derek of the danger. Derek reached around the Flygon's neck and pulled hard. _He was pulling in the direction of the edge…_ The Flygon careened over the side with Derek still latched onto its back. I gaped as I watched the two of them disappear over the edge. I stared at the place I last saw them for some time as I waited for the truth to sink in. My hand became limp, the handle of the knife slipping from my fingers. My knife clattered to the ground. _I wasn't ready for this. This wasn't a fight. It was war. Death surrounded war like a blackened shadow, waiting to pick war's victims off one at a time. I could handle death, but war meant losing your friends, innocents too… Damn it… I have to go, I can't stay here much longer._ I bent down to retrieve my knife. I saw Derek's discarded shirt lying on the ground. I ignored it and reached for the handle of my knife. Something caught my eye though, stopping me. The corner of a white piece of paper was sticking out of the rubble. I pulled the piece of paper from the rubble to examine it. It was a small square of thick paper, bearing a large hole in the center of it. It simply said "Michelle," with a drawn heart after her name. I flipped it over and saw it was a photo. It was a picture of a woman standing on a beach in a white dress. She had her hand laying over a bump on her stomach. Only half of her face could be seen because the hole in the photo ripped through, tearing away half of her. _I recognize this picture though._ It was the one Derek had shown me. The one Derek kept in his pocket. The hole was obviously from the Pin Missile attack, piercing through where the photo was a sticking into his chest. An explosion went off to my left, rocking my senses. I snapped back into the reality of where I was and what was going on at the moment. The picture fell from my hand as I grabbed my knife. Another explosion rocked the ramshackle tower as I tore down the stairs at an incredible speed._ I had to get back to the park and meet up with everyone else… If they were still there..._ The photo of the girl lay on top of the rubble, torn and tattered, while next to it laid the shirt of its owner, never to be worn again…

I hurried up the final street as the park came into view. I climbed over a pile of rubble from a nearby destroyed building, my feet slipping and sliding over the bits of brick and concrete. As I walked onto the smooth grass, I saw hundreds of people gathered around a cluster of tents. Stretchers and cots were lined up in rows with injured humans and Pokemon. Nurse Joy, a handful of Chansey and medics were tending to the injured. As I proceeded through the makeshift hospital in search of Karyme and my friends, I couldn't help but look around at the patients. Many of them were soldiers, wounded from fighting off attackers. I could also see many Pokemon sporting various injuries, but they seemed to be doing much better than the humans were. There were other victims too. Everyday people, refugees who had fled here because it was safe, or so they thought. I passed by a mother kneeling next to a stretcher holding her boy's small hand in hers. I could see bandages around his knee, the rest of his leg farther down, missing. The mother kissed her son's hand, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Mommy?" Am I going to die?" The small boy asked. His mother sobbed.

"No, mommy's here sweetie, everything is going to be fine dear. My head turned to a small cot as a man yelled "No!"

"You're not going to do that to my arm!" he yelled. A medic stood over him with a scalpel and a small saw in her left hand, hanging at her side. She tried her best to hold the soldier down with her other arm to calm him.

"I'm sorry, but we have to stop the poison from spreading, it's too late for an Antidote to cure it." I looked at the soldier's arm and saw two large bite marks on his forearm. His skin was a dark green color around the bite.

"No! There has to be a different way!" Another medic came to help hold him down.

"Jen, we're going to need some anesthetics over here!"

"Alex!" A voice called out my name. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Karyme running towards me. She ran into my outstretched arms and I embraced her. We broke apart and she gazed into my eyes. "I was worried, I thought you'd been hurt."

"I'm okay," I said, smiling at her. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're over here. Come on, I'll show you." Karyme trotted off in the direction she came from, with me following her.

"Are the others okay too?"

"Everyone is fine," Karyme said. "But Drake uh, well he…" I could hear Karyme's hesitation and read it on her face, as well as sadness, as she turned her head around to look at me while we were walking. "…He's not… doing so well at the moment. He's in pretty bad shape." I opened my mouth to inquire what was wrong with him, but closed it as we rounded the corner. Everyone was gathered around a large cot. Ryo was kneeling down next to Drake who was lying on the cot. He seemed to be trying to calm Drake and soothe his pain with his herbal medicines. Luna was kneeling on Drake's other side, holding his hand in her paws. I looked down at Drake and saw with horror, a Scyther blade pierced through Drake's left leg. The arm was severed at the elbow, leaving only the forearm and the blade. I shuddered from the gruesome sight, trying to keep my eyes averted from his leg.

"Drake… What happened?" I asked.

"A Scyther happened," Drake said in a gruff voice, without picking up his head._ We need to get him help, now._

"Can't we get a Chansey or a Nurse Joy to help us out?"

"They're all too busy with 'critical' patients," Mytka said solemnly.

"Bullshit, there has to be someone." A Nurse Joy was walking by a row of beds over from us. "We need some help here," I called out to her. Joy's head whipped around without even breaking her stride.

"We'll be with you as soon as we can sir," she said bluntly, not filled with any emotion. She walked off and out of sight. I turned my head back to face everyone else.

"Don't worry Drake, we'll get you some help soon."

Nurse Joy came by and gave Drake some pain relievers thirty minutes later. Two hours after that, Drake was knocked out cold from the strong medicine. We were still huddled around the cot. I had taken a seat on the grass next to Karyme, Kain and Orin. Ryo was sitting next to Mytka at the foot of the cot. Luna hadn't left Drake's side. Mytka had her legs pulled up to her chest with her head on her knees.

"He isn't going to… die, is he?" Mytka asked in a quiet voice.

"He shall be fine," Ryo reassured. "He's been through a lot and much worse than this. Remember when he came all the way to find you after you had been taken away by that evil Alpha of mine?" Mytka looked up at Ryo and grinned weakly. Ryo hugged her briefly, returning her grin.

I gazed around at the injured people and Pokemon around us. _They were all hurting pretty bad. Physically and emotionally. Mothers, sisters, brothers, spouses, fathers. They were dying right now all around us. People were going through a great deal of pain. Some were screaming from their injuries. Agony. It was all happening here, in this city. Because of Malak. It was his entire fault._ I became very frustrated._ What does he want? What was the reason for all of this? All of this pain and suffering. But it's obvious though, what he wants. The reason why he's been causing pain around Sinnoh, chasing us down. The purpose for attacking the city and harming innocent people and Pokemon. It seemed outlandish and extremely stupid, but it had to be because of me. What else did he really want? He's never showed any sign for anything else besides power and trying his hardest to kill me. He already has power, so that means he only has one other thing left to do. The whole Oreburgh Mine deal, was a trap laid for me. Alpha Sadi and his pack collaborated with him to try and kill me. Those two Sneasel that attacked me said something about how pleased Malak would be if they killed me. Hell, he even sent two people after me to drag me back to him. He must know that I'm in the city somehow. And he won't let up on the attack until I was dead… Or until I was in his possession… Was it really his fault that people were dying? Or was it mine… Was I hiding from everything and being a coward. I thought of today how I cowered up in the tower instead of helping fight back. How those two men had died while I hid. How Derek had given his life, so that I could live… Live and then run away again. I was throwing innocent people and Pokemon in front of me so that I could sit back and hide while they died and suffered… Yes… It was my fault… And I was being extremely selfish. But no more. I'm going to do the right thing now and end all of this. I have to give myself up to Malak. It was the only way. Then all of this madness could end. _I stood up and started walking back to Kurt's house.

"Where are you going, Alex?" Karyme asked.

"I'll be right back," I said over my shoulder. I kept my head down and kept walking until I was out of the medical campsite. Then I ran.

I dumped everything out of my backpack onto the bed in Kurt's guest room._ I'm only taking bare essentials._ I pulled the broken remains of my first knife off of the bed. _It sure brought back memories. I had to have this with me… Until the end came._ I took it and put it in my pants pocket before moving on. I moved about the room, gathering items until I heard a small voice at the door.

"Alex?" I turned around and saw Karyme standing there, looking worried.

"Hey Karyme," I said starting to pack again. She walked over to me and gazed up into my face.

"Alex, what are you doing? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to set things right again. I have to confront Malak myself." I was finished gathering everything I needed. "There, that's everything," I said zipping it shut and setting it on the bed.

"What? No you're not!" Karyme said, startled.

"Karyme, I love you, but I have to do this. I'm being selfish just sitting here while other people are suffering and dying."

"And I love you too, that's why I'm not going to let you do this. What do you even mean, you're being selfish?"

"I mean that, Malak is after me. He hates my guts and he's attacking the city and killing everyone just because I'm here. And what am I doing? Sitting on my ass and hiding like a little coward!"

"Alex, he hates anything that moves. He hates 'weak' Pokemon and he absolutely loathes humans. It is not just because you're here."

"Well then why the hell did he try and trap us in Oreburgh Mine? Huh? Why did he do that?"

"Alex, he-"

"And then the whole 'water Pokemon pack' ordeal! That wasn't a coincidence that he just so happened to show up you know!"

"Yes, but Alex-"

"Oh and the fact that two Sneasel were just ecstatic to get a chance to kill me was just a coincidence as well?"

"Alex!" Karyme said angrily. "He's been attacking this city for months before we showed up! Now you're not going to go out and be all noble just because you think he's after you!"

"He sent two fucking people after me! You were there, you saw!" Karyme flinched from my sudden outburst. Her face fell and she looked hurt.

"Alex, please don't," she said, a tear trickling down her cheek. "You're all I have, I don't want to lose you to him too." The anger seeped out of me, mellowing myself out.

"I have to Karyme, I don't want to, I have to. I'm not going to be the reason for anymore deaths." I picked up my backpack and slung it over my back. I walked to the door and stopped halfway out of the room. "I'm sorry…," I added over my shoulder, solemnly before walking out the door. I walked down the stairs with my backpack, fighting to hold back a few tears. I got to the front door and placed my hand on the doorknob, when I felt a tug on the back of my shirt. I turned around and saw Karyme holding my shirt in her jaws. I sighed. "Karyme, I have to-"

"I'm coming with you," she interjected. I blinked a few times before I comprehended what she had said.

"Karyme, what about Kain? Someone has to take care of him. I have to go alone."

"I'm going with you," she said again. "I love you too much to let you go. We've been together for a long time now and it's going to stay that way."

"You're not going anywhere without me," a voice said from the living room. Luna stepped into the foyer. I was shocked.

"L-Luna? Why didn't you stay with Drake?"

"He was knocked out cold and Nurse Joy can easily look after him. Right now you need my help."

"And you're gonna need my help too," Mytka said, appearing next to Luna. "I'm ready to do my part."

"Mytka? You too?" Mytka smiled at me.

"You'd be foolish to depart without accepting my aid as well," Ryo said, appearing as well behind Mytka and Luna. "Or without saying goodbye." I could only stare. Kain and his friend Orin appeared too.

"Orin and I have your back dad," Kain said smiling. Orin nodded in agreement. I looked down at Karyme and found her smiling warmly up at me. Fresh tears leaked out of my eyes, but from happiness this time. _I couldn't believe how much they all supported me. How they would follow me into the bowels of hell without a second thought. I loved each and every one of them._ I laughed.

"All right, you got me," I said. "I just wanted to say that-"

"Come on, we don't have time for sappy stuff, we need to go," Mytka said.

"Yeah, let's get him already," Kain added. I grinned.

"All right then. Let's do it. Together…"

**End Notes:** Well there you have it and again, I do apologize for the long delay. Relationship stuff for me has been holding me back from my writing… Not a very happy time right now, but I knew I had to get this done. Also a reminder to you all that I have a poll on my profile. Please drop your vote in if you get the chance! I just wanted some insight on my characters. Oh and give me feedback on what you thought about this chapter. Any suggestions, comments, corrections or thoughts are welcome! And again, I will post next chapter A.S.A.P. and the chapter after that will come exactly a week later. So… later then guys!


	27. The Devil's Maw

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

Chapter 27:** The Devil's Maw**

** Author Notes:** Hello, and welcome back to a new epis- I mean chapter! Just a few things I want to get out of the way. Firstly, I'm sorry for the wait once again, but as you all know I had TWO chapters to write this time around instead of one. The up side is that you will all have two chapters within a week's time! That's right, at exactly 1:45 P.M. (or 13:45) EST on December 26th, you will receive the next chapter! Secondly, I would just like to extend my most sincere and grateful thank-yous to everyone who is still here. I know that it has been quite a ride, starting almost 3 years ago. So thank you to you all from every fiber of my being. You are my motivation and my inspiration to keep on getting these chapters out to everyone. I love you all and whether it is that you breathe a sigh of relief, or a gasp of horror, I will tell you all that we are nearly there! So now that that sappy stuff is off my chest, let's get down to the real business and the reason for why you are really here. I of course still own all of my OC's (I've decided to give credit for other reader's OC's at the end of the story instead of in every chapter) and everything else is property to Nintendo and GameFreak. Onwards to the chapter now! For victory! For Glory! In the name of the Jarl of Solitude and the Imperial Legio- oops… Well, never mind that last bit… Ready, steady, go!

**Recap: **Malak's followers attack Hearthome, Alex is recruited to defend the front gate, Alex and Derek fight off the attackers, Derek is killed and Alex has to regroup, Drake is injured, Alex and Karyme fight, Alex sets off for Malak's lair and is joined by his friends.

_We found Kurt in the city, just after the sun had set. We told him our situation and what we wanted to do._

"Well that sure is noble of you Alex," Kurt said. _Yeah, I've heard._ "You are all very brave to do this," he stated, addressing everyone else as well. "I thought long and hard and it seems like the best solution to our problem we have here. I knew it should be done, but I didn't want to have to ask that of you. So, as an alternative, I was assembling a team of our bravest and most elite volunteers. They are the best of the best. I was going to have them go on this mission once we had acquired a few more brave souls, but since you have offered, you all will be more than enough to get the job done." I nodded.

"We're ready to leave anytime," I said.

"We were going to leave as soon as we had enough people." He gestured to us. "Now we do. So the truck will leave from right here in a half hour."

We waited for the truck, the seven of us talking amongst each other to pass the time. The truck showed up twenty minutes later and we all became silent. _We knew where we were going and what we had to do._ We approached the truck, which looked very old. It was a military truck, painted a dark green color. Its engine roared and rumbled beneath the massive body. We climbed into the bed of the truck, which was covered by a dark green canopy. We took seats on the large bench that ran around the bed of the truck. Karyme settled down on my right side. The others took seats to my left and across from me. I couldn't help but smile at Ryo. He was so large that he had a hard time sitting on the small bench and he had to stoop so that his head wouldn't hit the top of the canopy. He looked over and saw me smiling at him.

"No worries, it is only a minor inconvenience, but I can manage," he said almost jokingly. No more than a minute later, four soldiers climbed in with us, three human and one a Blaziken. They were wearing heavy armor, dyed a deep indigo color. They had helmets on with visors to shield their eyes. The four of them were also carrying very large assault rifles with them. This caused me to look down at myself and the others. I was only wearing clothes, and my only weapon was a small blade. _I felt very unprepared all of a sudden._ All four of them greeted us and introduced themselves before taking a seat. James, Richard and Jeremy were the names of the three guys and the Blaziken's name was Aaron. After the introductions were done, two more people climbed into the already full truck. I was surprised to see John and Sara, jump up into the bed. The two of them were wearing rather lighter armor than the other soldiers, but still painted deep indigo. John was bearing a rifle as well, but Sara seemed to be weaponless.

"Hey! Alex, how's it going?" John asked. Sara smiled as she passed me and sat down next to Mytka and Luna, instantly striking up a conversation with them.

"Hey John, didn't think I'd see you on this mission too. So you're one of the volunteers then?" John sat down on the other side of Karyme.

"Yeah," he scoffed. "'Volunteer' is the word. More like selected."

"I heard that," Kurt said, appearing at the rear of the truck.

"Hey, never said I wasn't happy to be a part of helping to save humanity Big K, Boss man, sir," John added laughing.

"Right," Kurt said, ignoring John's comment and addressing all of us. "Just wanted to let you all know how brave you all are, doing this. You are filling shoes that the rest of humanity would rather leave empty. Not out of dislike, but out of fear. I wasn't planning on telling everyone this, but you are our biggest hope right now. I'm not gonna lie, we're fighting a losing battle here, outnumbered and out skilled. I fear the worst for our city here, our home. If you can all pull this off, it would no doubt seal our victory. You know the mission. Get in, locate their leader, the Mightyena, kill him and get back out. Killing him is your only and your top priority. Do not stop for anything or anyone that isn't sitting in this truck right now. You'll probably see some sick shit in there, but it is to be ignored. Stay focused, stay frosty and stay alert. I know all of you can do this. So, drinks are on me when you get back." The other four men and John all cheered as I chuckled. Kurt laughed. "All right, good luck men! Ladies," he also added, nodding towards the three Lucario as well. He tapped the side of the truck twice and walked off. The truck rumbled to life and drove us off with it. We drove down the city streets, the only visible view out the back. We passed a couple pockets of fighting still going on, but we didn't stop. Eventually we reached the Hearthome's West Gate. This gate was a little less extravagant than Hearthome's main gate, the South Gate. The large wall surrounding Hearthome was built right along the tree line to the dense forest beyond. The gate itself was a small five meter high gate, large enough for only one roadway to pass through it. As soon as we were through, we were instantly plunged into semi-darkness from the thick tree canopy overhead. The gate shut behind us, locking it back up. The two men in the towers saluted us as we drove off, knowing of our dangerous mission.

"The truck drove up steep mountain roads and down treacherous slopes as we headed into the Mt. Coronet mountain range. The sun had set long ago and now the only light was from the truck's headlights and the very bright moon. Almost everyone had fallen asleep, but Karyme and I were still up. She had her head lying in my lap, both of us gazing up at the pearly white orb in the sky. I was stroking the back of her neck in her favorite spot. I was really comfortable like this, despite the bumpiness of the truck as it drove along the mountain road. I couldn't remember when I fell asleep, but all I knew was that I didn't want to leave this position. Eventually though, my eyes drooped and sleep took me away…

…Across the meadow, Karyme and I ran. It was twilight, just after a gorgeous sunset. Our pads on the bottom of our paws hit the soft earth with every step. I looked over at Karyme as we ran, laughing happily. She kicked up glowing fireflies as she ran, along with flower petals. They swirled around her, carried by the wind, only adding to her beauty. She smiled at me making everything around me glow a warm yellow. Time seemed to slow as we gazed at each other. She opened up her mouth to laugh but all that came out was a loud screeching noise. It cut through the air, seeming to echo off of the very sky. I fell over as I felt the ground begin to shift. It felt like the whole world was tipping on edge. I was falling now. The whole world was now upside down. My visions twisted, swirling until it was gone, replaced by darkness…

I bolted upright from where I slept. I heard the screeching noise, the same one from my dream. The truck was sliding to a stop on the road as the driver up front slammed on the brakes. It was pouring rain outside. We could hear the "pitter-patter" of drops on the canopy. The truck came to an abrupt stop, lurching us all forward.

"What the fuck!" One of the soldiers yelled. He banged on the thin sheet of metal separating us from the driver. "What the hell is going on up there?" From up front we heard the sound of glass shattering, followed by a scream. Three of the men picked up their guns.

"Come on, let's go see what happened," one of them said. They stood up and jumped out of the truck. I was just about to follow them, when I heard a loud ripping noise. The canopy above us was being torn open by a large blade. Rain cascaded into the truck through the hole in the canopy. Through the gap, we could barely see our attacker on top of the truck, through the darkness of the cloudy and rainy night. I could make out a silhouetted figure with a flat head and two scythes for hands. It was tall and lanky, with eyes that glowed a mean red. The last soldier and John both raised their weapons and aimed them at it. The Pokemon leaned its head inside the canopy and screeched fiercely. John and the other man both fired their rifles at the unknown adversary. The bullets merely bounced off of its hard metal-like skin. It growled low in anger, its red eyes narrowing. Mytka acted quickly and hit it with an Aura Sphere, knocking it off of the top of the truck. The men outside of the truck started to fire their rifles.

"Get out of the truck!" One of them yelled. "The Rhydon's charging right for you!" We didn't know exactly what he was talking about, but none of us hesitated. We heard thundering footfalls and felt the vibrations as a Rhydon barreled towards us. I could only imagine a large Rhydon, nostrils flaring like a bull, as it relentlessly charged for us. The rest of us inside the truck scrambled to get out. We were nowhere near close to getting out when it hit us. The Rhydon smashed into the side of the truck, overturning it on its side. Everyone was launched out of their seats or from wherever they were standing. We however didn't hit the ground where the truck was lying. We were launched out of the ripped canopy, into the pouring rain. I felt my heart jolt when I saw that we were on a steep mountain road. The sides were steep slippery slopes of mud and dirt. I braced myself for the impact, but it wasn't as horrible as I had expected. I slid down the very muddy slope on my back. It wasn't very long before the mudslide leveled out and I was able to stand up. I was at the bottom of the slope in a large puddle of mud, on the tree line to the thick mountainside forest. Everyone else that was still in the truck was sliding down too, hitting the bottom right next to me. I was wiping mud away from my eyes and spitting it out of my mouth. Everyone stood up with me as well.

"Is everyone here?" I called out through the pouring rain. "Is everyone all right?" They all seemed to nod yes. I saw Kain and Orin trying to shake the mud out of their fur. Ryo stood on the far side, looking back up the slope, where the truck was still barely visible. Mytka was helping Luna out of the large mud puddle. Sara stood up and shook her head hard to try and clear the mud from her face and John was on his feet as well, brushing himself off. The other soldier, the Blaziken, had fallen out of the truck with us. He was staring up the slope like Ryo as well. We heard a loud crash from the truck above us. The three men who had jumped out of the truck first were sliding down the slope now. "Look out! It's coming down!" One of them yelled at us. There was another loud crash and we all saw the truck careen over the edge, rolling down the slope right for us. _Fucking Rhydon._ The three men hit the bottom and hurried to their feet to face the oncoming truck. Ryo leapt forward right away without hesitation.

"Everyone get back!" He yelled. The Blaziken joined him as the truck gathered speed, barreling down the hill. They both dug their feet into the sopping wet ground and threw up their hands to stop the truck. They grunted loudly as the truck collided with their outstretched arms. They slid back a few meters, eventually bringing the truck to a halt. They let it fall to the ground on its side, throwing mud everywhere. Ryo and the Blaziken stepped away from the twisted wreckage of the truck. We all heard a roar from the top of the slope where we used to be._ Probably from that Rhydon. We had to keep moving. That Rhydon would probably let the others know we're coming and we had to keep the element of surprise._ Before we left though, we peered into the cabin of the truck to try and find the driver. Unfortunately, his body was nowhere to be found. So, with heavy hearts for already having lost one of our companions on this journey, we set off into the dense forest. We pushed on through the thick undergrowth, soaked to the bone with the rain still not letting up. _At least it washed all of the mud off of us._ We headed in the direction of the Route 208 entrance to Mt. Coronet. Our shoes and feet were sopping wet and our hair and fur was matted down from the downpour. We trudged up a hill at the foot of the mountain range. _The entrance was below the tallest mountain in the mountain range. Mt. Coronet._

After a while of walking, we found the road again. We walked along side of it, sticking to the trees for cover. The sun had appeared over the horizon a few hours after we had started walking. It brought the torrential downpour to an end and warmth washed over the land. We were all still wet but at least the rain had stopped, so it wasn't completely miserable. _Woohoo. Here comes the elite squad to take down the most vicious, unforgiving and successful ruler in well over a decade. Muddy, soggy and dragging their feet down the side of the road like a couple of hitchhikers. Already they have lost their mode of transport along with one of their team. Hurrah. _I could sense our low morale, but I knew everyone's nerves were on edge and I could almost feel our hearts beating fast._ I really hope we knew what we were doing. I hope we are ready for this._

After another hour or two of walking, we finally made it to the Route 208 tunnel. We stopped in front of it, looking into the dim cave.

"Do you think it's smart to just walk in through the front door?" John asked.

"We don't have any other plan and we don't know of any other entrances," I replied.

"Yeah, let's just get in there, get it done and then get out," one of the soldiers said. We entered the cave one by one, following the road that led through.

"Where do we actually find Malak if this road just leads straight through the mountain?" I wondered aloud.

"There was this one dude I met who helped repave this road a few years back," the Blaziken said. "He told me about this small cavern about halfway through that leads down into the mountain. It's all caves and tunnels twisting deep into the mountain after that. Heard it was like a maze down there." We found the cave opening that he was talking about after about a half hour of walking through the mountain. I walked up to the edge of the hole and looked down. It was a large pit that led down into nothing but darkness. I couldn't see the bottom at all because it was so dark. John pulled a few glow sticks out of his pocket and cracked them to make some light. He tossed them down into the hole. We watched them fall a few meters, before hitting a slope as the hole curved. They rolled down the small incline until they eventually reached the bottom a few meters farther down._ That wasn't that bad of a drop._

"All right, everyone behind me now," I said to everyone else. I took a breath before lowering myself into the pit and letting go. I slid down the side on my heels until I hit the slope, throwing me into a somersault. I rolled once before hitting flat ground and quickly getting back onto my feet. I scanned the area hurriedly for any enemies lying in wait for us. Karyme, Luna, Ryo, Kain, Orin and Mytka followed right behind me. John and Sara came next, with the four soldiers bringing up the rear. The others switched on flashlights on their rifles to help see better in the dark cavern. Once they had all situated themselves, I motioned for them to follow.

"Come on, we're clear. Let's get this done quickly." Karyme trotted up beside me as we carried on into the cave. It was very dim and eerie in the tunnel we were heading down. It sloped and curved downwards, deeper into the mountain. This put me on edge. I could feel my blood pounding away through my veins, my heart beating almost uncomfortably. I was nervous and jumpy from the fact that we had met no resistance since we entered the mountain. _We haven't even seen another living being, whether it be friend or foe. _I had to remind myself though that most of Malak's forces were probably busy right now, tearing Hearthome to bits. _I hope Drake was doing all right… Bah, that dragon's tough enough to stand anything. He'll be fine._

We turned a corner and began walking down another empty tunnel. This tunnel would have been just as dark if it wasn't lit by small fires in tiny nooks in the walls. We peered into each as we past and saw that they were actually dens. _Empty ones thankfully._ This path was very straight but sloped downwards even deeper into the mountain. We followed this pathway into a large cavernous room. As we traveled through it, we gazed around at the walls and ceiling. It was full of stalagmites and stalactites, a proper looking cave compared to the other ones. At the far end of the room, we were faced with a slight problem.

"Sooo… Which way do we go now?" Mytka asked, voicing my exact thoughts. We were facing a tunnel in front of us. To the left and right of that, were two more paths we could take. We heard wings flapping up near the ceiling. Two of the soldiers pointed their flashlights up at the ceiling. The flapping sound got louder as the light shone on Zubat, Golbat and a few Crobat covering the ceiling. The Blaziken slapped the flashlights down away from the sleeping bat Pokemon.

"Turn that off," he hissed. "We'll be in a world of shit if those things wake up." It was too late though. The flapping noise turned into an earsplitting screech as the bat Pokemon awoke from the bright light.

"Come on, we gotta move," John shouted through the screeching. The Zubat and Golbat were dislodging themselves from the stalactites. And began to swoop down on us.

"Come on, go, go, go!" I yelled, ushering Mytka Kain and Orin into the middle tunnel. Karyme rushed in front of me to help protect the others. She used her Flamethrower to shoot some of the bats out of the air. The soldiers, John, Sara, Ryo and Luna hurried forward too. The Blaziken and another soldier stopped next to me to provide covering fire for the others so they could reach safety. John, Sara, Luna and Ryo were still hurrying towards us as best they could. The other two soldiers whizzed by me, following Kain, Orin and Mytka into the tunnel. I yelled at the others to hurry up when a loud blasting noise tore through the air. I looked up and saw a blinding white light heading straight for us.

"Look out!" I yelled at the others. The white light exploded on the ground next to me, tearing it to pieces. The very next thing that I was able to comprehend was that I was falling. I had no time to react as my back slammed into the ground. My backpack cushioned the blow a little but the back of my head hit the rock. My vision blurred heavily and there was a very loud ringing in my ears. I didn't even attempt to pick myself up off of the ground. The pain from the back of my head coursed through my nerves. I heard a muffled voice off in the distance. It grew in volume as a blurred shadow appeared over me. It yelled again at me and again and again. It was hard to make out what they were saying. I didn't do anything but lay there and blink my eyes slowly, not able to make out anything with my blurred vision. Another shadow appeared next to the first, this one much larger and burlier. It grabbed me by the shoulders with clawed hands._ Shit, I'm done, I'm dead, they got me._ Whatever it was, it pulled me up into a sitting position. I raised my arm which felt very weak and tried to pull off the hands grabbing me. That voice was yelling again. Just a single word over and over. I tried again to pry off the strangers hands.

"Gerroff me," I said loosely. The hands shook me. My vision became clearer and the ringing noise slowly faded from my ears. I could make out what the voice was saying now. It was shouting "Alex," over and over again. My vision cleared and I saw Karyme on my left and the Blaziken holding my shoulder to keep me steady. Both of them were looking down at me worriedly.

"Karyme," I mumbled, reaching up and brushing my fingertips against her fur.

"Oh Alex," Karyme said in relief. "Are you all right?"

"Come on man, snap out of it," the Blaziken said, clapping my shoulder and sending a shock of pain throughout my body. I sat up on my own and grasped the back of my head, swooning from dizziness.

"Are you okay Alex?" Karyme asked.

"Yeah," I said heavily. "Just gimme a sec." I pulled my hand from the back of my head and looked at it. There was blood on my palm. _Dammit._ "What happened?" I asked while I reached into my backpack for some dressings to stem the blood flow.

"Crobat, nasty Hyper Beam, blew the floor to bits and we fell down into this pit." He looked over at a large boulder where we saw a man, half buried beneath it. The Blaziken shook his head. "Jeremy didn't pull through, thought we were gonna lose you too." I looked at the man I hardly knew but I still felt saddened that we had lost another squad mate. I pressed the pad to the back of my head and stood up, wobbling a little from side to side from dizziness. _We couldn't really do anything for him now though._ _When we get back to Hearthome, we can give him a proper burial. But for now, we had to finish our objective._ I looked at the Blaziken again.

"Your name was Aaron, wasn't it?" I asked. He nodded. "Well Aaron, it looks like it's going to be just us three for a while until we can find the others. Where are they anyway?"

"Well Mytka, Kain and his friend, what was his name?" Karyme asked.

"Orin," I muttered.

"And Orin made it into that first tunnel along with those other two men." I picked up my pack and slung it over my shoulder. "John, Sara, Luna and Ryo… I didn't see where they went." I looked at Karyme blankly. "But I'm sure they made it through fine," she added quickly. _Shit. This wasn't good at all._ I tossed the gauze pad to the ground and unsheathed my new knife.

"Right, we need to stay alert. There are only three of us, so we're a much easier target. We need to keep moving and get this done and over with quickly. These tunnels go deep into the mountain. We're bound to find everyone else at some point. They all have to connect sooner or later." _Hopefully._ I looked towards a small nook in the wall that was big enough for us to squeeze through. "Come on, let's keep moving." Before we left, Aaron took one last look at his fallen comrade before following us through the small crevice.

**Kain**

Mytka was coughing hard through the thick dust cloud that erupted from the collapsing rocks. Kain, Orin and Mytka, along with the two other soldiers had made it into the tunnel just before the roof had collapsed. The rock slide blocked them off from everyone else. Kain, Orin and Mytka walked forward until they were clear of the thick cloud of dust. The soldiers were coughing hard as they stumbled forward behind the three of them. Being Pokemon, their eyes were well adjusted to the dark by now and they could see as well as if it were day. The two soldiers however, couldn't.

"Dammit," one of them said, still coughing. "I can't see shit."

"Me neither," the other mumbled. They both switched on their flashlights and shined them around the chamber they were in. They landed on the three Pokemon.

"Is everyone all right?" Mytka asked. Kain and Orin nodded. The soldiers replied with a "Yep," and "We're good."

"What should we do?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Well," Mytka said slowly. "I don't think I can break through those boulders with my attacks. I think the only thing we can do is move forward for now." The men nodded in agreement.

"Good idea, we've got your back, miss." Mytka smiled at the soldiers.

"Come on, let's see where this tunnel goes," Mytka stated, turning and walking down the sloping cavern with everyone right behind her. They traversed their way carefully over rocks and under low hanging ceilings. Kain trotted up next to Mytka who was still leading the way. He looked up at her.

"What do you think happened to the others?" he asked.

"I don't know," Mytka replied solemnly. There was a pause before Kain spoke again.

"Do you think they're all right?" Mytka sighed worriedly.

"I sure hope so."

**Alex**

We trudged on through the cavern at a reasonable speed. Aaron was walking beside me, with Karyme on my other side. He held a ball of fire in his hand to help light up the dark and dank cave. We traversed the dark passageways for a few minutes until we heard running water. The tunnel opened up, becoming wider and the ceiling became taller, allowing for a lot more head room. It connected with an underground creek.

"Let's follow this upstream and see if we come across something," I said. We started up the narrow bank of the flowing water. We passed by a lot more nooks in the walls with small nests inside. They were littered along the bank of this small creek. All of these were again, empty. _Still, even if Malak had sent his army to Hearthome, he must have kept some of his followers for protection._ But still, we haven't met any resistance besides one group of Zubat, Golbat and Crobat. "Is anyone else creeped out by the fact that we haven't seen anyone, besides a group of pissed off bats?"

"Yeah, Karyme said, her words full of suspicion. "I feel like they're setting up an ambush or something." The tunnel again opened up, this time into a very large room. We had at last found the source of this little creek. The roar of a torrential waterfall was the only noise that we heard now. Its water was cascading down from the wall, up near the ceiling of this room, into a very large pool in the center of the cavern. We took in the grand sight for a moment. We heard movement above us, causing all three of us to jump a little. Aaron extinguished the flame in his hand and looked up. I held my knife at the ready as I looked up too. The noise came from a hole, high up in the wall. Two beams of light were shining through the hole into the room.

"Those look like flashlights to you?" Aaron asked in a whisper, leaning in towards me to keep his voice down.

"Yeah, they do," I said.

"That's gotta be the others." Sure enough, their faces appeared seconds later. Mytka, Kain, Orin and the other two soldiers. "Hey!" Aaron called up to them. They looked down at us and shined their flashlights on us.

"Hey, hey, Aaron!" One of them called out heartily. "You lucky son of a bitch, how did you survive that blast?"

"We fell into a lower tunnel and came out here," Aaron responded. Jeremy… wasn't as lucky as the three of us."

"Shit…" There was a moment of silence before I spoke.

"Have you guys had any sign of the others?"

"Nah man."

"No sir, not a trace," they both responded. _Fuck, they have to still be out there somewhere, hopefully all alive as well._

"All right," I said. "Let's keep moving and see if these tunnels meet up somewhere."

"Right."

"Keep your eyes peeled, remember where we are exactly," I said, mostly looking at Mytka, Kain and his friend Orin. They all nodded.

"Careful Kain!" Karyme said, before they set off. "You too Mytka and Orin."

"We will mom!" Kain yelled back as they headed off down another tunnel.

"Which way should we go now?" Karyme asked. There were a couple of different routes we could choose._ Well, they all had to lead somewhere… But where?_ To our surprise while we were thinking, two other Pokemon hopped into the room. They didn't seem to notice us as they headed straight for the large pool in the center of the room. We stood frozen as the Buneary and Pachirisu lapped up water.

"What should we do," I whispered as quietly as possible to Aaron and Karyme. The Buneary's ears perked up and it looked over to the source of the noise. It gasped and poked its friend who looked up as well.

"Intruders!" the Pachirisu yelled.

"No, no, no, get them!" I said. Karyme leapt forward quickly as they took off. I chased after them as well, running as fast as I could. Karyme tackled the Buneary with her jaws clamped around its neck to prevent it from yelling. Aaron lunged at the Pachirisu, but it evaded him and took off into a tunnel. It shouted "Intruder, intruder, intruder," as it ran, its voice echoing off of the walls. Karyme slowly choked the Buneary until it stopped struggling and fell limp. She let the Buneary fall to the ground and licked its blood from her teeth.

"Come on, we have to pick a tunnel and move. They'll be on us in seconds now that they know we're here," I said. They both nodded and we started off down a tunnel, in the complete opposite direction that the Pachirisu went.

**Kain**

The group of five walked through a large room as they continued on. In the corners of the room were stockpiles of berries and meat for food. In the next room was a very large open space. Bones and berry fragments were piled up against the wall.

"This must be where they all ate," Mytka said. They walked past a couple piles of bones in the center of the room with the rock beneath hem stained red from the blood.

"Weren't very clean," one of the men said.

"What are you, their mother?" the other said, laughing.

"Hey! Keep your smart ass comments to yourself dingus," the soldier responded, elbowing his friend in the ribs playfully. Orin chuckled at them. Mytka was however busy eyeing Kain. He was gazing up at a hole, high in the wall, with an overhang that overlooked the entire room. Mytka looked back down at everyone else, shivering slightly.

"Ugh, this room really creeps me out guys," Mytka said.

"Allow me to brighten the mood then," a sly voice said, ringing out around the cavern. Kain looked back up at the overhang and growled lowly. A Pokemon with jet black and blue fur appeared, standing there. He wore a disgusting smirk on his face. The soldiers pointed their rifles up at him, shining their flashlights upon him.

"Raleigh," Kain said under his breath. Raleigh squinted from the bright lights shining in his face.

"Oh my, that is not what I meant by 'brighten the mood' at all," Raleigh said. His fur crackled with electricity menacingly. He discharged the energy in a small shock wave. The five of them received a light jolt, but the flashlights overloaded and exploded.

"There we are," Raleigh said. He leapt off of the ledge, landing lightly on his feet a few yards from the group. The soldiers looked pissed and scared at the same time. They raised their rifles and shot at Raleigh. He quickly put up a Light Screen to defend himself. The bullets smashed into his Light Screen, dissipating into nothing but ash.

"Not very nice at all," Raleigh tsked. Here, let me show you how that feels." Raleigh let loose a powerful Thunder attack, striking the two soldiers in their chests. Kain, Orin and Mytka jumped out of the way of his attack, but the other men weren't so lucky. Their entire bodies were electrified from the powerful voltage. They yelled and screamed, their hair and skin burning right before their eyes from the intense electricity. Raleigh cut off his attack and they both collapsed to the ground. The other three had no doubt in their minds that they were both dead where they lay. "Shame," Raleigh said, almost comically. "They seemed like shocking duo." Orin stepped forwards as Raleigh laughed at his own joke.

"Raleigh…" Orin said hatefully. He glared at his older brother.

"Oh, look here! What a remarkable sight. It's the runt, still squirming around I see. Survived have you?" Raleigh smirked as he looked down on Orin. "I should have made sure I finished the job, little brother. What a pain you are indeed."

"You're going to answer for what you did to those men! Right here and now!"

"Oh, those slimy little humans? You should be thanking me! I did you a favor. At least now they won't follow you around. Well, actually, they won't be doing anything anymore, and that's the way I like humans."

"They were good people!"

"This conversation is dragging on. So dreary and pointless. Frankly, I'm rather bored with it." Raleigh turned and started walking to the exit. "I'll take my leave and let you kids carry on. Oh, and do mind the other Pokemon here, they're rather hungry." With another one of his sly grins, he took off running down a corridor. Orin growled lowly at his departure.

"Raleigh!" Orin yelled after him. He ran after him at full speed.

"Orin!" Mytka called out. "Orin, no! Wait!" It was too late. Orin was already out of sight. Kain and Mytka charged after him. They blitzed through tunnels, twisting back and forth through the maze of passageways. They could only follow the sound of his hurried footsteps and his rapid breathing, as they still couldn't see him. The tunnel turned and twisted some more until it opened up into a large chamber. Orin could be seen running across it in pursuit of Raleigh. Kain and Mytka watched Orin run into a small room. He was instantly bashed in the back by one of Raleigh's Take Down attacks. Kain snarled as he and Mytka hurtled towards Raleigh._ That was a cheap shot,_ Kain thought. Raleigh looked over at the two and smiled evilly.

"Sorry to be so rude, but I need to have a word with my brother, just the two of us." He threw his weight into the wall next to him. A cascade of rock fell from the ceiling onto the ground in front of him. Mytka and Kain skidded to a halt in front of the pile of stone, just in time to avoid being crushed.

"Dammit!" Kain yelled. He shoved a boulder with all of his strength, managing to only make it budge an inch. "Orin, hang on! We're coming!" He threw himself into the large rock, pushing it slowly until it rolled down the pile onto the floor. Kain grunted loudly, trying to shove another boulder off.

"Kain?" Mytka called out to him. Kain looked down at Mytka, who was looking across the room. Kain followed her gaze and saw a large group of Pokemon filtering into the room through various passageways. Kain jumped down the pile of rocks and onto solid ground next to Mytka.

"Stay back and be alert," Kain mumbled to her. The other Pokemon circled around them now. They growled and snarled, showing their many rows of pointy teeth.

"I can handle myself, Kain," Mytka replied. "We'll take them together." They were surrounded now by nearly a dozen foes. Some were crouched low, into a battle stance, still growling. A few however were behind these Pokemon, hunched over, a blank face, circling slowly around them. _They were the dangerous ones,_ Kain thought. Kain and Mytka backed up until they hit the pile of rocks behind them. _This was it._ One of their foes snarled menacingly and jumped, his comrades following suit. Kain bared his sharp white teeth and jumped into the fray as well.

**Alex**

We ran down through the narrow corridor. We had run far from the waterfall room, afraid of being found by more of Malak's thugs since they had set off the alarm._ Hopefully it will draw most of them to that side of the cave system and away from us._ The three of us leapt down a small hole in our path. We hit the ground and kept running._ But that is the side that the others are on… We need to get this done right now and get out of here before we're overrun._ As we emerged into a really high-ceilinged room, we slowed our pace to a walk. I looked up at the grand spacious cave we were in. That's when I heard it. A small whooshing noise to the left of me.

"Alex!" Karyme yelled. Before I could react, I felt a pair of sharp claws dig into my shoulder. I yelled out in pain and spun around wildly to try and shake whatever was on me, off. It clung to me tight, regardless of my attempts to dislodge it. I ripped my knife from my belt where it hung and thrust the blade over my shoulder. I heard a shriek as I felt my knife sink into something. It let go of my shoulder and fell to the ground with a dull thud. I turned around and saw the handle of my knife sticking into the chest of my foe. _Growlithe._ I panted hard, adrenaline still pumping throughout my body. A loud screech rang out through the cave at that moment.

"Hostiles right!" Aaron yelled. I yanked my knife free and spun around to face our attackers. A large group of Pokemon poured out of holes and crevices and into the large room. They all roared and yelled their battle cries, sprinting towards us as a group. I brandished my knife, trying to analyze the best form of defense. I had no time to do so as a large Grovyle charged right for me. I threw myself to the side to avoid its sharp blade-like arm. I didn't even have a second to recover before it was on me again. It had quick reflexes and was very agile. I flipped over on the ground onto my back. It sliced down at me once again. I threw up my knife to block its Leaf Blade attack. The two blades clinked off of each other. It followed up its first attack by swinging at me with its other arm. This time I quickly rolled out of harm's way as his blade smashed into the ground. I swung my knife upwards, right into the Grovyle's elbow. It roared in pain as blood oozed out of his wound. I stood up quickly to try and catch him by surprise. As I was just about to strike, he swung around, roaring in anger from his pain. I just barely dodged his blade, ducking underneath his arm. He stumbled past me, his arm still bleeding profusely. I jumped at him, hitting him in the small of the back with my weight. I sunk my knife into his back, right between his shoulder blades. He yelled out in pain again. I grabbed my knife and kicked his back hard. My knife slipped free and he fell to the ground, dead. Something hard crashed into my side with a great deal of force. I was thrown sideways and landed hard on my side. I grunted in discomfort as I picked myself up. My ribs had collided with the ground rather hard. I saw my attacker charging towards me once again. It was a large Luxio. It jumped a few feet in front of me, heading right for my neck. It was so quick I only had a second to react. I ducked down to the left to avoid it. I swung the blade of my knife in its path, hoping to injure it in some way. My knife slashed it right along its neck. The Luxio crashed to the ground and didn't move. I heard a very loud growl behind me. My reflex was to throw myself forward in the most certain chance that an attack was imminent. I felt something slash at my backpack, tearing some of it apart. I rolled on the ground and spun back around to see a very menacing Charmeleon. Flames burst from its mouth as it shot a Flamethrower attack in my direction. I pushed myself off of the ground with my hands to get out of the way of the incoming attack. I had just missed the flames as I pushed off of the ground, the fire searing the spot I was just in. My hand wasn't so lucky though, as it was still hoisting my body off of the ground. It was seared with the intense flames licking at it. I ducked and ran as the flames followed me. I found a small boulder and dove behind it to shield myself. I could feel the heat of the fire as it hit the other side of the rock. I hissed, my hand feeling like it was still on fire. I looked at it and saw it was very red. As I sat there, waiting for the flames to let up, I heard another growl. A Zigzagoon skidded around the corner in front of me and ran right for me. I raised my foot and kicked it in the face to keep it off of me. It just stumbled backwards, barely phased from my boot to its face. It leapt towards me again, teeth bared angrily and growling. I reached out my left hand to catch it around its throat and my right hand brought my knife down on top of it. The blade stabbed right through the tiny skull of the Zigzagoon, killing it instantly. It didn't even screech or cry out in pain. I slumped the lifeless Pokemon off to the side and focused once again on my attacker. I clenched my knife hard with my uninjured right hand and breathed one deep breath before hurling myself over the rock. The opposite side of the boulder was charred black from the Charmeleon's flames, but it didn't matter right now as I ran towards my foe. He was ready and waiting for me to attack. Another strong jet of flame streamed forth from his jaws, streaking a path for me. I was able to leap over the fire, jumping at him with my knife. Unexpectedly, he swished his tail around to meet me. It collided with my stomach hard, knocking the wind out of me. I fell backwards onto my back again. The Charmeleon pounced on me with its sharp claws brandished. Before it could get on top of me, I brought my feet up and kicked it hard in its chest. It flew backwards, out of my view. I quickly tried to stand up, coughing hard to try and catch my breath. The Charmeleon was staggering to its feet as well. I hurried to attack first. It came at me with its sharp claws again. The Charmeleon swung at me, which I just barely dodged. I gave it a swift knee to the chin, knocking its head back. He retaliated by swinging his tail at me again. To dodge it, I leapt forward, soaring over his tail and tackling him. I stabbed him quickly in his chest to kill him. He cried out in pain. I slashed the blade over his throat to finish him. I jumped up to look around for any more attackers. Only Karyme and Aaron were still fighting. I ran forward to help out Karyme since she was the closest. She slashed at a Buizel with her claws, striking it across the face. She then jumped on it and bit down on it hard with her powerful jaws. Behind her, I saw a Croconaw just about to attack her.

"No you don't!" I yelled. Using the speed of my sprint, I kicked it in the chest to knock it over. Caught off guard, the Croconaw fell to the side. I took the advantage and swung my knife down to stab it in the chest. It roared from the fatal wound inflicted on it as it struggled to get back up. The Croconaw however, couldn't manage standing up as life slowly faded from its body, until he fell still all together. Karyme looked up from her dead foe just as I did

"Thanks Alex," she said with a smile. I returned her smile, also nodding in the direction of Aaron who was still fighting. "Right," she said. We both ran towards Aaron to help him out. He was surrounded by the attackers. He hit a Mankey with a solid punch, sending it flying. He had to then swish around with a swift kick as a Raichu leapt at him. He hit a Machop with a strong Karate Chop and followed up with a strong Fire Punch to immobilize a Kirlia. His attackers were strewn across the ground around him, unmoving. _I couldn't tell if they were dead or just knocked out._

"Well, I guess you didn't need our help after all," I said, shocked at what I had just witnessed. We followed Aaron as he walked over to retrieve his rifle from where it lay on the ground. "Which way do you think we should go now?" I asked Aaron. He shrugged his shoulders, completely devoid of an answer.

"Alex," Karyme said quietly from behind me. I turned around to see what she had wanted. Her gaze shifted from my face to the far side of the room. A small fire burst into life, followed by another, after another. They seemed to be perched on top of large poles, like torches. The three of us walked towards the bright torches. They illuminated a large flight of stone steps, which we began to ascend. "Alex," Karyme said shakily while we climbed step after step. "They're Cyndaquil." I looked closer and could see their small bodies clinging to the pole. Their heads followed us as we passed and one of them even nodded encouragingly. As we reached the top of the stairs, we could see a large, high-ceilinged hallway stretching into eternity in front of us. It was illuminated with the same Cyndaquil, all the way down as far as the eye could see.

"All right," I said. _I was sure this was where Malak was hiding. It sure looked regal enough._ "Let's finish this."

**End Notes:** All righty! So, there you have it, Alex is in and he means business like nobody else. Again, this did take ages to get out, I am aware, but guess what everyone gets in exactly a week's time? That's right, the next chapter. Part two will commence at precisely a week later so there is no need to grumble for another long wait! At precisely 1:45 P.M. (13:45) EST, you will all have the next chapter! I do appreciate it a lot for anyone who is still reading. It over joys me to see reviews pop up in my e-mail inbox! So thank you all once again and please, please, please drop in a review and let me know what you loved, hated or even if you want to suggest something! So I'll see you all very soon.


	28. The Devil's Maw Part 2: Dust and Echoes

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 28:**** The Devil's Maw Part 2: Dust and Echoes**

**Author's Notes: **What's this? OP actually delivering? Well here we are once again and so soon too! All right, let's get down to brass tacks. I don't really have much to say here except enjoy this chapter, I know I sure did while writing it! I do not own blah blah blah, Game Freak and blah, blah, blah, blah, Nintendo, I own, blah, blah, blah, Karyme, Alex, Jade, Drake, Luna, Mytka, Ryo, Kain, Malak. Now, read on dear readers!

** Recap: **Alex and friends set off to Malak's lair, truck is overturned so they have to walk, group is separated by rock collapse, Raleigh shows up, Orin chases after him, Alex, Karyme and Aaron fight off a group of attackers, they find Malak's hiding place.

Our footsteps echoed off of the walls loudly, as we hurried up the long cavern. The Cyndaquil on the posts plashed past us, lighting up as we got closer and extinguishing as we ran past. Eventually we slowed to a walk as we neared the end of the long tunnel. Light filtered in through the doorway, brightening up the dark and dismal cavern. We cautiously entered the large chamber, waiting for an ambush or trap to spring any second. We looked around the cavern briefly to check for any threats. The room was very large, roughly in the shape of a circle. Around the edge was what looked like a carved out moat. Water trickled through a crack in the wall and into the carved rock. It ran all the way around the room, seeming only to be a few feet deep. Nearly the whole ceiling was made up of giant crystals. They must have connected with the outside world, because light was filtering down through the crystals and into the room. There was no need for torches or flashlights in here. Our gaze wandered towards the rear of the room where we spotted a sort of altar. My heart began to beat hard, almost uncomfortably when I saw what topped it. Perched on a bed of enormous leaves, was no other than Malak himself. He looked just as malicious as ever, basking in his supreme power. The large responsibilities of leading a pack of this size seemed o have not aged him in the slightest. He lay there with a sort of smugness that angered me. Flanking either side of him were two other Pokemon. On his left, was a very stunning Gardevoir, lying on her side. On his right, was a large Floatzel. His flotation sack was black and there was a large scar running down his face. As we entered, we approached slowly and cautiously. It wasn't until we were in the center of the room that Malak said something to acknowledge our presence.

"Ah, so finally the famed hero and his entourage arrive. Frankly, I expected you to arrive much sooner than this. But no matter, now that we're all here, let's get acquainted, shall we?" I readied my knife as Malak stood up. "Oh dear," Malak said, his face falling. "This is quite a crowd, don't you agree Blake?" The addressed Floatzel replied hastily.

"Yes Master Malak, it is most certainly a crowd."

"Hmm, yes, this won't do at all. Gracia," Malak said, turning to the Gardevoir. "Kill the spare." Without saying a word, the Gardevoir stared at Aaron intensely as a purple aura glowed around here. She raised her hand and Aaron started to float off of the ground, a purple aura appearing around his body as well. Aaron shouted out in fear.

"Whoa, whoa, what the fu-" Aaron was cut off as Gracia flicked her wrist outwards, sending his body hurtling away from Karyme and I. I spun around in horror as I watched Aaron soar through the air. He crashed backwards into the wall with a great deal of force, sending a resounding crack throughout the cavern. Aaron made no sound as the purple light faded from his body and he hurtled towards the ground. He hit the ground and didn't move a muscle after that._ He was dead…_ I turned back to face Malak, furious.

"You son of a bitch," I breathed angrily. You're going to answer for all of the crimes you've committed. Right here and now." Malak stepped forward, our eyes locked on each other.

"Oh boohoo, not another one of your friends dead. What's this now? My second kill from your group of little miscreants?" He grinned one of his famous evil smiles. "What was that thing that used to follow you?" Anger boiled in the pit of my stomach. _He was talking about Jade._ "What was its name again? Jade, that was that little waste of skin of a Pokemon's name."

"Don't you talk about her!" I yelled, on the edge of explosion from my anger.

"Oh, but it has been so long since you two have seen each other. Wouldn't you like to have a… little reunion?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked. A sinister look slowly tugged its way onto his face.

"Gracia," he said looking up at her. She floated down off of the altar beside Malak. "If you would please." I saw Gracia's face twist into what looked like a disgusted expression. Karyme and I braced ourselves as Gracia began to glow purple again. However, when nothing happened, we were a little confused. I stayed on my toes, waiting for something to happen. We heard a small gurgling sound behind us. I looked over my shoulder to see what was causing it. The pool of water surrounding the edge of the room was bubbling and a small glowing light emanated from its depths. The light rose and rose until it hit the surface of the water._ What the hell was that?_ Out of the water rose two pointy, yellow ears, tipped with black. _No, please no._ Following that was a rounded yellow face with yellow fur, white eyes and two little dots of red on its cheeks. This isn't happening, it isn't. The rest of its body moved, climbing out of the water on all fours._ I just could not believe what I was seeing. I was horror stricken._ _Crawling towards us was a Pikachu. More importantly, it was Jade. I could tell from the markings on her fur and the way her ears perked up. But I knew it wasn't. I watched her die right in front of me. It wasn't her! That evil, sadistic bastard…_ Malak looked at me, sensing my intense despair and started cackling his evil and mighty laugh. _What had happened to her? What had happened to my best friend?_

**Orin**

Orin picked himself up off of the ground, his head spinning in dizziness. He saw Raleigh on the other side of the room glaring at him. The colossal pile of rocks that had fallen from the ceiling was blocking the way out. Orin had no means of escape. He glanced around the room quickly, a pungent stench filling his nostrils. Lying around him were dead and mutilated bodies of Pokemon. They were all pushed up against the walls, leaving an open space in the center. Blood coated the floor beneath the bodies. The walls looked like a medieval torture chamber. Large metal spikes were stuck into the rock. Some Pokemon were chained to these and a few were impaled upon them. Orin scrunched up his nose and focused back on Raleigh. It was just him and his older brother alone, and he knew that only one of them was getting out of here alive.

"So," Raleigh finally said, breaking the silence. It comes down to just you and I, brother." Raleigh advanced slowly on him, as Orin dropped into a fighting stance, ready to defend himself. "Tell me, how does it feel? To know that you are about to die?" The two were circling each other now, eyes fixed on each other.

"You tell me," Orin said plainly in response.

"Oho! Cocky, aren't we? There is no arguing here, I am the strong one and you are weak. There is no comparison." There was a pause before Orin replied.

"We'll see, won't we?" This seemed to anger Raleigh. Orin wasn't scared at all by him, Raleigh obviously being the older, stronger, larger and more powerful. If anything, Orin was just egging him on. Raleigh growled and leapt at Orin claws flared and all. Orin was ready. He wasn't going to lose this time.

**Alex**

Jade slowly walked circles around Karyme and I. She eyed us angrily, looking ready to pounce any second.

"You see what powers we have?" Malak asked gleefully. "Do you see what we can unleash?" I looked more closely at my only childhood friend. She had stitches on her belly and around her foot. _I could remember the image so vividly from years ago. Jade's broken body, lying before me in a pool of her own blood. It was as painful for me as I'm sure it was for her. All I could see was her ravaged body, her torn off foot, her entrails hanging out of her body… Her face twisted in agony… My ears rang with her screams, her cries for help… And now she was in front of me, crudely sewn back together, glaring at me._ And then she spoke to me.

"Why didn't you save me Alex? Why did you watch me die?" Her voice was coarse and ragged, not her own. _This wasn't Jade at all._ She stopped circling and stood up on her hind legs, facing me. "I'll do the same to you now. I'm going to watch you die slowly." Her cheeks sparked and a large flash of lightning crashed through the air towards us. With no time to react, the large bolt hit my chest and exploded on contact. The force knocked me backwards onto my back. I grunted loudly from the pain that shot through my spine. Jade wasted no time at all and pounced at my downed body. A snarl rose to my left and Karyme tackled Jade in midair. She pinned Jade on her back and snarled again. Jade responded with an equally vicious growl, both of them baring their razor sharp teeth.

"No!" I yelled. "Karyme, please don't hurt her. She isn't herself!" Karyme leapt off of Jade just as she tried to bite Karyme.

"She isn't anything anymore, Alex," Karyme shouted.

"She's still my best friend and I know she's in there somewhere!" My voice cracked at the end as I looked back at Jade. She was grinning in a sinister way. _What happened to her?_

**Orin**

Orin flew across the room as he was hit hard by Raleigh. He hit the rock ground on his side, sliding a few feet. He grunted and slowly stood up with Raleigh's laughter ringing around the small room.

"You are pathetic and weak!" Raleigh yelled triumphantly. Orin stood up and faced his brother once again. "Why do you still fight? Give up and accept your death honorably!" Orin and Raleigh began to circle each other again. Orin was careful to avoid the large metal spikes protruding from the walls and he was careful not to tread on the bodies of the dead Pokemon.

"If there's one thing you and father did teach me," Orin replied. "It's that there is no honor in giving up." Raleigh shot a powerful Thunderbolt at Orin. It streaked through the air with great ferocity. Orin jumped out of the way and disappeared completely into thin air. He was using his Faint Attack. He reappeared behind Raleigh, already jumping towards his back. He bit down on the back of Raleigh's neck, hard, sinking his teeth deep into his skin. Raleigh snarled in pain and swung his head around to try and grab Orin off of his back. Orin held on tight, but Raleigh eventually flung him off. Orin landed on his feet, crouched down low in his battle stance, facing Raleigh. Raleigh's mischievous grin was gone from his face, replaced with a frown.

"I'll give you one thing, you are fast." Raleigh used his Take Down attack, sending Orin soaring through the air. "But what is speed without power?" Orin grunted again as he slowly picked himself up off of the ground. Orin wasn't giving up.

"You're wrong," Orin said weakly. "I'm going to prove you wrong Raleigh."

"No chance little brother. I'm afraid you won't have much of a chance to prove anything." Raleigh growled low and leapt in to attack Orin again.

**Alex**

I kept dodging out of the way of Jade's relentless attacks._ I didn't want to hurt her. She wasn't herself. She had to be alive in there somewhere._ She swung at me with her claws, using her Slash attack. I jumped out of the way and readied myself for another attack. Jade however stopped and looked at me with her deathly white eyes.

"Why won't you fight back Alex?" She asked slyly. "You're not making this a challenge at all."

"Jade! It's me. Come on, snap out of it already." A tear leaked from my eye._ What was wrong with her? Why didn't she recognize me? I'm not going to give up on her… But what was I even fighting against anymore?_

"The only thing that will snap, will be your neck." She leapt at me and we began our dance again. Her keeping up her attacks and me blocking and dodging, pleading for her to pull through. Gracia looked from Jade and I fighting, to Malak, ad back again.

"Master," she said cautiously. "Don't you think he's had enough? Let's stop this madness." Gracia looked back at Jade and I fighting, with a rather disgusted look planted on her face.

"No," he said sternly. "They will both fight to the death. Alex will suffer." Malak smiled as he usually did while spectating torturous scenes. Gracia looked at Malak for a moment, her mind working. She then turned to look at Jade again. Her eyes flashed purple with Psychic energy. Jade's deathly white eyes faded to nothing and she fell over, no longer being controlled with Psychic. "What are you doing?" Malak roared. Gracia used her psychic powers to pick up Jade's crudely repaired body. She floated her over to the water that ran around the circular room and slowly lowered her back into the water. "You useless bitch!" Malak yelled. He struck her across her chest with a powerful Slash attack. She fell to the ground with three distinct red marks across her chest. Malak attacked again with his Shadow Ball this time, but Gracia threw up a psychic barrier to block it before it struck her. Seeing his attack do nothing, Malak let up his attack. Gracia stood up, with her shield held in front of her firmly. She spoke, lowering her barrier.

"This is where I draw the line. I will no longer be controlled like a puppet. Your cruelty will be your downfall, I can assure you," Gracia said.

"You will obey me! Your punishment will be death if you do not submit!"

"I will take my leave now. I follow no more." Gracia glided over to the exit, leaving Malak in a fury of rage.

"You have chosen death then! Blake!" He yelled at the Floatzel standing in the corner. He jumped in fear, but looked at Malak not with respect, but with irreverence. "Stop her!" Blake looked over at Gracia who stopped at the doorway and turned around to glare at Malak. Blake looked back at Malak and then at Gracia again, his mind obviously debating on what he should do. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Malak yelled, furious. Blake began to walk towards Gracia, stopping in front of her when he reached her. They both looked at each other for a few seconds before Blake lowered his eyes back to the ground and walked right past her out of the room. Malak breathed angrily, saying nothing. Gracia took one last, long look at Malak before following Blake as well. Karyme and I who have been silent this whole time watched as Malak turned his head to glare at us instead. "No matter, this is exactly how I pictured this final confrontation anyway. Just us three," Malak said beginning to slowly walk around us in a circle.

"Karyme, stay back," I murmured to her.

"No!" She hissed. "I came all the way here and I'm not going to let you do this alone!"

"Karyme, if we take him together, we'll just hurt each other while fighting!" I argued back. Malak started laughing, his voice echoing around the room.

"Look at your 'love' you two occupy yourselves with! There is no reason, there is no order. Love is weak, it has no purpose! While you are both scrambling over each other, it will be your demise! Why have love when you can have obedience? Obedience is prosperity."_ I knew he was wrong. Love wasn't weak at all. It was strong-willed and persevered through any tough situation. And Karyme and I would get through this confrontation together._ Malak and I were staring each other down, while Karyme hovered somewhere behind me. I held my knife firmly in my right hand and tossed my backpack off to the side. Malak bared his teeth in a sinister grin._ This was it. Only one of us would make it out of this room alive. The past few years and especially the past couple of months all lead up to this very moment. But did I really know what I was doing? _I looked at Malak's twisted grin plastered on his face. _Did I know what I was even up against?_ Before I even had time to comprehend what to do next, Malak used his Agility attack. He streaked forward in a in a dull gray blur, slamming into me with full force and knocking me backwards. I stood up as quickly as I could, expecting to have teeth and claws strike me while I was stunned. However, all I heard was Malak's laughter as I got back on my feet.

"It is impossible to best me!" Malak said, still cackling. I brought my knife back up in front of me, staring intently at my foe. "Your move human." I took a second to plan my attack and then I struck. I lunged at Malak and swung my blade near his neck. Malak sidestepped my attack and Headbutted me, knocking me off to the side. I stumbled, but didn't fall. I turned around and Malak was on me. He used his Slash attack, his paw gliding for my left arm. I dodged out of the way, but his sharp claws grazed my bicep. My arm stung from the cuts, but I ignored them. I quickly counterattacked, but I was too slow for him. He easily dodged my blade as I thrust it at his neck.

"Slow!" He yelled. I tried slashing at his chest, but with his speed, he pushed my forearm back with his paw. He followed up with a strong tackle, knocking me backwards. I toppled over and landed on my already sore back.

"Weak!" Malak yelled again.

"Alex, careful!" Karyme called out with her voice dripping with worry. I tried getting back up but I was pinned down by one of Malak's heavy paws. I struggled to break free, but he was too strong. He pressed down harder and harder on my chest. My breaths were coming in short and ragged now, because of the pressure he was exerting. I clamped both of my hands over his leg and pushed on it, trying to force it off of me. As Malak pushed harder and harder, he leaned his face closer in to mine, still wearing that disgusting grin. I could smell his horrid, warm breath as it blew in my face.

"Pathetic," he said soft enough so that only I could hear it. My mind came off of the fact that I couldn't breathe and remembered that I still had a knife in my right hand. I spit in Malak's face to distract him and then swung my knife up at his neck. I slashed his skin along his shoulder blade, drawing some blood. He roared and leapt off of me, allowing me to take a deep breath. I jumped back onto my feet and we both turned around to face each other at the exact same time. I was bent over gasping for air while Malak glared at me, not even seeming to be hurt by the wound I inflicted upon him.

"You're dead!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Dead!" A ball of dark energy formed in front of him, crackling and swirling with blackness. _Shit._ He fired it right at me. The speed of it gave me only seconds to react and leap out of the way. It missed colliding with me directly, but it did hit the ground behind me. I avoided most of the blast that ensued. Some of the force hit me however and knocked me over. The small explosion had kicked up a large cloud of dust that mixed with the cloud of dark energy that remained left over from the blast. The dust and smoke hung heavy in the air, completely screening me from Malak's view.

"Alex!" I heard Karyme call. "Alex, be careful!" I got up off of the ground, coughing, as a few pebbles that were thrown into the air, rained down on me.

"Come on out Alex," Malak sneered. "There's no hiding from me here." By this time the dust and dark energy cloud had completely covered the whole room, allowing each of us to only see a few feet in front of us. I used this opportunity to gather myself back up, but I also stayed on my toes in case Malak decided to come after me.

"Not coming out, huh?" Malak said. "Oh where could you be?" I tried to stay perfectly silent, even holding my breath to stay very still.

"Well then, I'll just have to force you out. And you won't like it at all, I assure you." _Force me out, what the hell did that mean?_ Either way, I brought my knife up in front of me and braced myself for a pair of sharp jaws to leap through the smoke right at my throat. I was surprised when instead, a blinding white light burst forth from the dust cloud and whizzed past my left ear._ Shit! Hyper Beam!_ I watched as Malak aimed it everywhere around the room, blasting apart the walls, the ceiling, anything it hit. _I was worried for Karyme, hoping she would duck down to avoid the stream of devastating energy._ I stayed low, keeping my head down and out of harm's way. The noise from the Hyper Beam tearing apart the rock on the walls and ceiling was just incredible. The amount of damage being done was enormous. I could feel the ground quaking beneath me as Malak continued his attack to try and draw me out. It wasn't until I heard some large crashes and saw a large piece of rock fall down next to me that I realized the walls and ceiling were breaking apart and collapsing. _Shit, shit, shit, shit!_ I had to take off running to my right to avoid some more falling rocks. I looked behind me to see a large pile of boulders exactly where I just was. I kept running forwards to avoid the rock collapse. As I turned my head back around to look ahead, I felt my stomach fall out from under me. I saw the streaking white light swing around and barrel right into my path. I dove to try and duck out of the way, but the intense energy struck me right in the center of my chest. The force of the attack blew me into the air and sent me flying backwards._ It felt like I had just run full force into a concrete wall that was hurtling towards me faster than the speed of sound. _I felt a couple of my ribs break upon impact with the Hyper Beam. Excruciating pain flooded my nerves, searing my whole body. I yelled out in pain, my chest feeling like it was just set ablaze. As I flew through the air, I knew I had to stop eventually and it wouldn't feel good at all. My back slammed into the wall of the cavern at that point. With no backpack to receive any of the force this time, my back took the full blow. A loud crack rang through the air as I collided with the wall. The whole room seemed to spin, turn upside down and then right itself again as my vision blurred heavily. Some of the pain left my body though, as my senses were dimmed. After hitting the wall, I fell a few feet landing face down on the rock floor. Pain coursed through my veins once again from my landing. I grunted loudly as I lay there, barely keeping consciousness. _This wasn't happening. Malak wasn't going to win. Fight it. Don't let the pain win._ I turned my head to try and look around me. I could hardly see anything but dust and smoke. The loud ringing in my ears was just unbearable. _It felt like a bomb had exploded right next to my eardrums._ An ounce of happiness reached me as I spotted my knife lying a few feet away in front of me. I struggled to reach out in front of me, my arm barely complying with my commands. I grabbed onto the floor and pulled my body forward, towards my weapon. I yelled out again from the pain as my torso slid over the coarse ground. I stopped once I couldn't pull any further._ The pain… It was on the edge of just unbearable anymore._ I almost blacked out from the agony. I had to pause before pulling myself further to take a couple of deep breaths. I picked up my head, eyeing my knife again._ I had to get to it._ I reached out again with my arm, pausing to brace myself from the inevitable pain. I gritted my teeth and pulled. I grunted very loudly, my torso siding over rubble. My grunt progressed to a yell. The agonizing pain seared my body and my nerves, making me dizzy again. My vision blurred and darkened as I reached the height of my pull. My head collapsed, the strength leaving my body. I breathed in and out in hard, heavy breaths, my senses fuzzy and slowly fading. I twisted my head around, my cheek grinding against the rock. Sweat was dripping off of my forehead, rolling in beads. My knife was lying only a foot away from me now. I took a few more breaths before reaching my arm up once again, but this time to wrap my fingers around the handle of my knife. My task complete, I let my head collapse again out of exhaustion, caused by the pain I was experiencing. After a couple of seconds, I realized where I still was and what was still hiding out there in that smoke cloud. _I had to get up. I couldn't stop, I couldn't give in. I needed to finish what I started. No matter how much pain. No matter how hard it was. I had to get up. I needed to kill him. I needed to end this. End this. End this! End this! End this! Get up!_

Just as the dust was starting to clear and settle, I hardened my nerves and placed both of my palms on the ground near my chest. I grunted and pushed as hard as I could. The pain from my back and ribs was dulled greatly by the adrenaline still seeping into my body. The smoke had cleared completely now and it revealed Malak standing there, looking just as sinister as ever. I slid my left knee forward and placed my foot underneath my body to force my body up and off of the ground. Malak laughed at me, watching as I tried to pick my beaten and broken body up off of the ground.

"Why even bother getting back up?" Malak asked, still laughing at me. "Save yourself from the shame of getting beaten once again. Accept defeat. I promise I won't make your death as painful." He started to circle around me, drinking in the sight of my misery. "Or actually," he said, even more gleefully. "Get up so I can make your death even more humiliating. It should all be great fun!" I ignored Malak's taunts and focused on getting myself to stand up. I struggled with all of my might and pushed myself up until I was standing. _I did it._ I put weight on both of my feet but instantly regretted it. My right ankle seared as if it just had molten iron poured on it. I yelled and collapsed back to the ground again. The impact again, faded my senses out, making me dizzy. I breathed heavily as I looked down at my ankle. It looked normal enough, but from the pain that just shot through my body, I could tell it was broken without a doubt. I couldn't feel anything past my ankle. It throbbed angrily with an annoying dull pain that made me flinch every time blood was pumped through it. I gritted my teeth again as Malak's maniacal laughter reverberated around the room. I could hear Karyme's muffled voice calling out in worry for me.

"Weak!" Malak roared. "That is what all of you humans are. You have no place in this world while we, Pokemon, exist. There is nothing I hate, yet also pity more, than you slimy beings." I breathed in and out heavily, dizzy from my collapse. I was surprised my nerves hadn't exploded by now with how much intensity they were outputting. _Actually, it felt like they had indeed exploded and were now blazing inside of me, underneath my skin._ I could hear Malak approaching me. I twisted myself onto my side and used all of my strength to raise my arm, holding my knife in defense. Malak was upon me now. I weakly swung my knife for his neck, but before it struck him, Malak hit my arm out of the way and pinned my wrist to the ground with his paw. He kicked me in my ribs to roll me over, making my cry out from the sudden burst of pain that shot through my chest. As I rolled over onto my back, his paw stepped down on my chest once again. He pushed down on my chest and my broken ribs harder and harder, just like before. Except this time I was completely helpless. I yelled out from the pain of the pressure. Malak smiled evilly and relished in my agony. He leaned his face in close as well, baring all of his sharp teeth in my face. _I was merely a bug. And he was going to squash me._ My chest seared from my broken ribs and the force that was pushing on them. _Pain. This was complete agony. I almost wished he would kill me so it will all stop. I want it to end. Please, just let it end already._

"Alex!" Karyme cried from somewhere off in the distance. _Karyme. I loved her so much._ _ I hoped that she would leave me behind and save herself. _However, a noise reached my ears. I heard her padded footsteps as she rushed forward to tackle Malak off of me. _No, Karyme! Save yourself! Leave me behind!_ Malak chuckled lowly, still not taking his eyes off of me. Karyme leapt at Malak and a mere second before she collided with him, Malak reacted. He threw up a Protect, completely shielding himself from any damage. Karyme smashed into his barrier and was thrown backwards away from the both of us. She hit the ground hard. I heard her high pitched whine and I could see her body roll and slide to a stop. I turned my head towards her.

"Ka… Ryme...," I managed to gasp between my short and ragged breaths. Malak laughed once again at me.

"So!" He said, the most cheerful, yet the most malicious I have ever heard him. "This is where it all ends for you, I'm afraid. How does it feel? To know you are just about to die? Are you fearful? Or maybe, relieved?" He paused for me to answer. I wasn't going to respond to his question and even if I wanted to, I couldn't. His paw was slowly squeezing the breath and life right out of me. He grinned again with every one of his sharp teeth. "So, no last words from the brave hero at the hour of his death. Such a pity. Your life ends tonight, right here, by my hand. Goodbye Alex." He raised his right paw as his claws started to glow white. _Metal Claw._ Everything slowed to a crawl as he brought his paw slashing down._ You know, I never really believed what they all say. But my life real did flash before my eyes, stretching all the way back to my yester years. I was five, I got my first toy Pokeball for my birthday. Eight, my first day of Trainer's School. Ten, I unwrapped a box at Christmas, inside I found a small yellow mouse Pokemon. Eleven, I won my first battle. Seventeen, I held my brand new drivers license in my hand. Nineteen, graduation. Jade and I starting our journey. Karyme and I on that hillside. Drake, Luna, our new companions. Little Mytka running around. Running through the meadow alongside Karyme. Kain hatching. Rescuing Mytka and gaining Ryo as a companion. Fleeing to Hearthome. Fighting on the tower with Derek… It all flashed at high speed, right before me. So vivid I could almost reach out and touch it. But Karyme was at the forefront though. Her smile, her laugh, her voice, her kiss, her embrace… I hope she was all right. I hope she would be all right without me. I hope she wouldn't miss me too much. I was ready… I was ready now…_ Malak's claws tore into my chest a second later._ This was it…_ My vision became blurrier and blurrier, fading out. Pain was leaving my body too. For a second everything was bliss. Then everything finally closed up. It was gone and over. Everything went black, and I knew no more…

**Orin**

Raleigh's jaws snapped at Orin. He jumped quickly out of harm's way, growling at his older brother.

"You're not going to beat me, Raleigh," Orin said.

"Oho! On the contrary, I am merely toying with you. I am delaying your inevitable death and having a little fun as well! However, I believe this had been dragging on a little long for my liking." He flashed his sly smile at Orin once again. "Time to die." Orin tried to counterattack while Raleigh was still talking, but he had to instead avoid Raleigh's Take Down attack. After dodging it, Raleigh wasted no time and followed up with a powerful Thunder attack. This, Orin barely dodged as well, throwing himself off to the side. Raleigh became very angry that his little brother was evading him so easily. He glared daggers at him, his fur crackling with static electricity from his rage.

"You were always slimy and slippery," Raleigh sneered. "But there is no running here, no escaping. You're trapped like a rat in my little trap and you will be exterminated like one." Orin said nothing at all. He stared his brother down, a fire burning within him like never before. Raleigh attempted to catch Orin off guard and surprise him. He surged forward, using his Extreme Speed attack. Orin was waiting for him though. He disappeared, leaving nothing but air where he stood. As he finished his Faint Attack, appearing where Raleigh was standing a second ago, he heard a stomach churning squelch of metal and flesh colliding. He slowly turned around to face his brother. Raleigh had become impaled upon the wall adorned with those large metal spikes. A total of four spikes were pierced right through his body. He could do nothing but move his paws and gasp for breath. Orin made his way over to him slowly. He stood in front of his older brother as he died in front of him. Neither of them said a word to each other. Orin stared at him, a hint of pity in his gaze. Raleigh stared right back at Orin, his eyes round with fear, something Orin had never seen in his brother before. Raleigh continued to gasp for air and struggle. His paws were scrambling over the ground and his tail was swishing about furiously. Orin almost felt sorry for him, but then he reminded himself of the horrible things he's done. Raleigh's head drooped and his eyelids became heavy. Orin continued to stare at him a few seconds after he had stopped moving all together. Apart from the faint sounds of battle taking place outside of the room they were in, silence hung thick in the air.

"Goodbye," Orin whispered, hardly believing it himself. He gazed at Raleigh for a moment. "…Brother." Orin looked upwards and at that moment, he was enveloped in a brilliant white light, his body changing shape and growing larger…

**Alex**

…_This world… This world of suffering. It clung to me tight, leeching life and happiness from me. I knew nothing. There were no senses besides the gift of sight. There were no feelings besides the weight of misery. I knew nothing. Trapped in this world. There was no direction. There was no purpose. Nobody to blame but myself. No pity. No remorse. No mercy. I knew nothing, but darkness…_

_ …But hang on… I heard voices. I was flying now, upwards, toward a small white dot. The more I thought about the voices and the more I focused on them, the faster I flew. A shout… A yell… A feminine voice… A masculine one too… They swirled and spiraled around me, the rushing nose of wind, blending with it. The white dot grew bigger and brighter. The rushing sound grew louder and louder as well. Was this finally death? Was I traveling to the Beyond? The light, the sound, they intensified tenfold until they hit their maximum… And then… Something I thought I'd never do again… Something I thought would never happen… It happened… I breathed…_

I began to feel again. I could feel my body, heavy, weak and broken. I could feel from the tips of my fingers to the bottom of my toes. With this however, came back the pain. Flooding into my nerves once again. I struggled just to breathe in and out. My heart felt heavy and sluggish, like I was trying to pump jelly through my veins. I blinked once… Twice, and the room finally swam before my eyes once again. Blurry and dull, but still, I could make out the rock and crystal ceiling above me. Most of my pain was now coming from my chest. I gritted my teeth and picked up my head to look down. There were some deep gashes in my skin, my shirt caked to my body with blood. I looked away before I got sick. My gaze was drawn to two fuzzy figures, their bodies dancing about._ I recognized both of them._ Karyme and Malak, locked in battle. I let my head fall back down, exhaling heavily as energy was drained from me. _I had to help Karyme. I had to move!_ I looked to my right for my knife. It was lying a few feet away, just within arm's reach. I stretched my right arm out as far as I could. My fingertips brushed the handle and eventually I edged it into my hand. I breathed in and out in gasps, looking up at the ceiling once again._ My body just couldn't take anymore strain. The pain, my wounds, even moving any of my limbs was pushing me to the very limit… Why? …Why couldn't I have just stayed in the world of darkness? It was so nice. There was no worry. There was no pain. There was no fighting. There was only me and myself. But I couldn't. I had to be here. For Karyme. She needed my help right now! I had to move!_

I looked over at where Karyme and Malak were fighting. Their snarls reached my muffled ears. The only way I was able to distinguish between both of them was that Karyme breathed fire and Malak was using his dark attacks. The room around us was torn asunder. Malak's Hyper Beam had really done a number on the rock cavern. Chunks of rock were torn from the walls and ceiling, leaving large gaps. They were lying on the once flat ground, now strewn with boulders. Half of the floor was completely missing… _But how was that possible? The floor can't just disappear like that._ I was confused for a moment, but I remembered that Mt. Coronet was situated right above a major fault line that stretched thousands of feet deep. _But this wasn't important._ I watched Karyme and Malak fighting. At that moment, an ear-splitting scream cut through the air, piercing my eardrums. _Karyme…_ Malak's jaws were closed around her shoulder. She tried to break free, but Malak held fast._ No! She needs my help! Dammit! Move already!_ Malak let go of her a moment later and used his powerful Take Down attack on Karyme. She flew through the air and landed a few feet away from me. I heard her whimper and the thud of her body hitting the rock ground. I turned my head to the side to look at her. She was bleeding pretty badly from her right shoulder. She turned her head to look at me.

"Karyme," I managed to say. Shock and relief filled her eyes.

"Alex! I thought you were…" She trailed off, not needing to finish her sentence. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"I'm… Here… For you…" I choked out. Karyme pulled a weak smile onto her face.

"Oh Alex," she whispered.

"Aww, how touching," Malak sneered. He leapt over one of the large holes in the floor that separated us from where he stood. I could almost smell his smugness as he approached._ This was my last chance._ As he locked eyes with mine, I struck. I clenched my knife hard and swung it up towards him, with my whole torso leaning forward off of the ground. Malak swiped his paw and hit my wrist to block the incoming attack. The knife was knocked right out of my hand and flew off to the side, into one of the large pits. _No, that was my only means of defense!_ It was gone. Malak followed up with a Headbutt to my forehead, knocking me back to the ground. I cried out in pain as Malak glared at me.

"Disgusting human," Malak spat. "I should have made sure you were dead the first time!" He laughed. "But at least now I'll have the pleasure of killing you both at the same time!" I looked over at Karyme again. She tried to stand up, but collapsed after putting weight on her leg. She whimpered as she hit the ground. I readied myself for the pain and reached my arm out towards her. I grabbed onto the rock ground and pulled myself closer to her. I didn't yell out from the pain this time, only flinching as fire coursed throughout my body. Malak continued to gloat, and began to circle us. I ignored him, focusing on making it to Karyme's side. "You two thought you could best me. Outnumbered and still I prevail!" I reached Karyme and let my screaming muscles and aching body rest. I placed my open hand over her paw and looked at her once again. She lifted her gaze to mine and our eyes connected. She smiled weakly.

"Alex…," she whispered. "Don't leave me…" I didn't respond, but only attempted to return her smile._ We'll stay together till the very end. Just like we always have._ We both heard the sound of cracking rock. Large chunks of the ceiling were falling away, accompanied by a rumbling noise deep in the mountain._ The cave was collapsing._ Malak seemed to notice as well. He looked around the cavern at the ceiling caving in.

"Well, I'm afraid this will be my departure," Malak said. "I can't be expected to stand around all day. But first we have unfinished business, Alex." He advanced on me and kicked me hard in the ribs to flip me over onto my back. I hissed loudly in pain as Malak's paw stepped on my throat. I could barely breathe before, but now I really was gasping desperately. _I had no weapon to even defend myself now. I was helpless. This really was it then. I wasn't coming back a third time. It was my time to die. I wish I could have told everyone how much I loved them. I thought of them again, their faces flashing in front of me. I thought of Jade. I thought of that Christmas I got her. I thought of my mother. I missed her. I remembered back when she gave me my knife for graduating Trainer's School… Hang on… My knife! It was my only shot!_ I dug my hand into my pocket and pulled out the broken blade of my knife. _He didn't notice._ Malak bared his teeth, preparing to strike._ But I struck first._ I thrust the blade at Malak's chest, sinking the cool metal into his flesh. He roared in pain, releasing his paw from my throat. He stumbled backwards, looking at the metal sticking out of his chest. He growled lowly as he stumbled around. His horrified gaze found mine.

"What have you done to me!" He was nearing the edge of the large pit behind him. His hind paws slipped on a rock and he fell. Time slowed as I watched him careen over the edge. His face showed nothing but fright. There was nothing to grab hold of, no one to help him, nothing to save him as he fell. Malak disappeared from view all together as his body fell into the massive pit. It took me a couple of seconds before it sank in. I turned my head to look over at Karyme, still lying there.

"Alex…," Karyme said shocked. "You're brilliant!"

"We… Did it," I gasped out, my wounds really taking their toll on me. I held her paw with my hand, still gazing at her warmly.

"Alex, I love-" Karyme was cut off as something appeared behind her. _Something absolutely horrifying… Malak._ He somehow had hung onto the edge. He clamped his jaws around one of Karyme's hind legs. She cried out from the pain and attempted to kick him off. Malak tugged on her, slowly pulling her closer to the edge.

"No!" I yelled out. I held onto her paw, but I wasn't strong enough. It slipped free. She looked at me as her lower half dangled off of the edge. She dug her claws as deeply as they would go into the ground, but it still wasn't enough to hold her. She was slowly sliding backwards. I ignored all of my pain, and all of my wounds. _I had to save her._ I threw myself forward as my muscles screamed in agonizing protest. _I missed…_ She gazed into my eyes, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Alex," she said desperately. _And then she was gone, over the edge… Gone from my world… Forever…_

**Kain**

Mytka and Kain fought off the last of their attackers. Their only injuries they sported were a bloody lip for Mytka and a couple of scratches for Kain. Kain glanced over at Mytka.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Never better," she responded with a smile. They heard hurried footsteps coming down one of the hallways that lead into the room. "Enemies!" Mytka said, turning to face the doorway. However, they were relieved to see John, Sara, Ryo and Luna run into the room.

"Mom!" Mytka exclaimed. She rushed forward and embraced her mother tightly.

"You guys are okay!" Kain said.

"Yeah, we're all right dude," John said. "Had a real shit time getting here though." Ryo moved closer to Mytka and Kain.

"Have either of you seen Alex and Karyme?"

"We saw them earlier, but not recently. We thought maybe you guys would have better luck finding them than us," Mytka responded. She looked to Kain to confirm her answer, but he wasn't next to her at all. He was across the room, on top of the rocks blocking the doorway to where Orin had been trapped by Raleigh. He didn't say a word or look up as he attempted to shift the heavy boulders.

"Orin," Mytka said to the others before rushing over to help Kain. Everyone jumped back though as one of the boulders shifted on its own. The rock fell and rolled down the pile until it hit the ground where it rested. Out through the hole it created walked a very beat up Mightyena. John quickly raised his weapon and pointed it at the new foe.

"Get back!" He yelled at the others.

"No wait! Don't shoot!" Kain yelled back. He slowly began to make his way up to the Mightyena.

"Kain," Mytka said cautiously. Kain ignored her and continued up the pile of rocks.

"Orin? Is that you?" Kain asked. The Mightyena who was looking down at Kain nodded his head once.

"Yeah, it's me," Orin said. Mytka gasped.

"Orin!" She rushed forward to embrace him. "We were so worried about you!"

"So hang on," Kain said. "Raleigh… Is he… dead?" Orin waited a couple of seconds before responding.

"He's dead," Orin said, his voice filled with no emotion whatsoever as he began to walk down the pile of rocks.

At that moment a loud rumbling noise filled the air around them. The ceiling above them cracked all the way across the room and large chunks of the ceiling were falling down to the ground. The cave around them was collapsing.

"Guys, come on," John said. "We need to leave now!"

"But what about my mom and dad! We're not gonna leave them here!" Kain spoke up.

"Kain, we don't have much time before we're all buried alive down here," Ryo said. "Your parents are smart, they'll know it's time to leave here as well. But right now, we have to go." Kain looked like he wanted to argue, but he knew Ryo was right. So with a single backward glance, he followed everyone out of the cavern hurriedly right on their heels…

**Alex**

The cave was crumbling._ Bu still I stayed. It was impossible. It wasn't happening. This was just a horrible nightmare. Karyme… No, no, no, no, no! She wasn't gone. She was just hanging onto the edge, just like Malak had done. Any second now she would pull herself back up. She would smile warmly at me and laugh with her beautiful laugh. She would assure me she was okay with her soothing voice. She'd gaze at me with her sparkling, chocolate brown eyes and I'd know everything was okay… She was just creating suspense for a good story later… Everything was okay…_

The seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. The minutes dragged on for ages…_ Maybe she needed my help. Maybe she couldn't pull herself up on her own. Surely she would have called out for me by now. She wasn't… I didn't want to say it…_ I reached out once again to drag myself forward with my right arm._ The pain._ It returned full force as I struggled to slide my body over the ground.

"I'm coming, Karyme," I called out over the sound so collapsing rock. "I'm almost there!" My nerves burned with fire, but I didn't care._ Karyme needed me!_ I pushed… I struggled… I strived…_ It was too much._ My body was giving in, but my heart was screaming at me to go on._ I couldn't…_ My muscles gave in. My limbs shook and then collapsed. I thudded to the ground and felt so much better just lying there._ It was all I had in me. I survived just long enough… Just long enough…_ I lay there, my breaths no longer ragged and heavy, but weak and shallow. _I smelled the earth. I tasted the grains of dust upon my tongue. I felt the vibrations of the cavern collapsing. I was done… No more…_

…As my eyes began to close, my thoughts were to her._ Karyme… Karyme… Karyme… I could slowly feel my senses fading, turning my mind and body to complete delusion. I saw Karyme standing there in front of me. She was so gorgeous…_ A pair of hands grabbed onto me, flipping me over. _Tearing me away from her lovely sight. Karyme… Only her…_

"Karyme," I said out loud. The hazy orange figure in front of me looked down at me.

"No, it's Drake man," the figure said. _Drake… That sounded familiar… But where was Karyme?..._ "…Shit…," the figure whispered as it looked over my body. _What did it want? I know that all I wanted, was her…_ "Don't worry, I'm getting you out of here." The strange figure picked me up into its arms. The pain dulled my senses even further as my body shifted about._ I faded in and out of consciousness… In and out… Karyme…_ "Come on, stay with me, Alex!" the strange figure shouted at me, sounding as if it were a mile away. _Why was there shouting?_ I tried my hardest to figure out where I was exactly and what was happening._ I couldn't tell up from down. What was going on? Karyme… I needed her… She'd know what was happening… _I faded out and back in. We were flying now._ Flying? How were we flying?_ The strange figure was flying fast, through a narrow tunnel now. It gripped onto me as it soared on.

"Karyme," I managed to say again. _Where was she now?..._

"Alex, it's me, Drake. Your buddy. You gotta stay awake. I'm gonna get you some help, okay? But you have to promise me to stay awake." _Staying awake? I could do that. That was easy. Alex of 41 East Sunset Drive, Westfield River, Leynoh Island. Alex of Leynoh can do that. My name was Alex…_ I faded out and then in once again. _The tunnel was collapsing, I could hear the rock. Karyme… I could only see an orange belly as I was held tight in something's arms. What did it want with me? I missed her… My darling… _My senses went black again…_ We were in the sun… The light… Karyme… That's where she was… My sweetheart… My Karyme… I'd be with her now… No more fighting… Just me… And her… Karyme… Forever… Together…_

**End Notes: **Not much to say here… Relieved maybe. An idea I had formed in my head back in June of 2008… finally hear on paper. This is a memorable day for me and I'm glad to have shared it with you guys. Please drop in a review before you go, and thank you oh so much for your time. I really appreciated everyone of my readers, whether I express it or not. You are all the greatest inspiration I have ever received from anything. And that's something you can't ask for, but only receive. You are all amazing! Thank you for reading, there will be another short chapter to wrap everything up, so please don't go anywhere! I'm gonna nap now, intense hangover…


	29. Epilogue: Were It So Easy

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 29:**** Epilogue: …Were It So Easy**

** Author Notes:** Hello, and welcome back once again readers. As many of you know, we have finally reached the end. This will be the final chapter in this long series that has played out through the years, however I will add another chapter on as a means for special thanks and some fun facts about the story! It is a bittersweet moment though, for myself and I hope, for you as well. This chapter will wrap up the questions that were left hanging at the end of the last chapter. I've taken to a different style of presentation specifically for this chapter. It will be a monologue for the majority, with filler in between bits of it. I wasn't sure how to distinguish back and forth between first-person and monologue, but you guys should be able to spot it.**Also I'd like every person who has read to leave a review so I can give you credit! Anonymous reviewers can just type in their screen name! You don't even have to say anything if you don't want to, just drop in a blank review and I will include you in my thanks! Please and thank you!**So, without further ado, let's get on with it! I don't actually own Pokemon or anything like that. How amazing that would be. No, Pokemon's rights belong to Nintendo and the game creators at Game Freak. The only things I own are my OC's, which include; Alex, Karyme, Malak, Jade, Kain, Mytka, Drake, Ryo, and Luna. This story, from chapter one to this chapter right here was produced by me, for entertainment purposes only and not as intentional infringement on others. So here we go… for the last time…

** Recap: ** Alex and Karyme fight Malak, fight against "zombified" Jade, Orin fights Raleigh and kills him, Alex is injured greatly by Malak, Malak "kills" Alex, Karyme fights Malak and loses, Malak gloats, Alex uses his old knife blade to stab Malak, Malak falls off the edge, Malak grabs Karyme and takes her with him, Alex is rescued from the cave, Alex falls unconscious.

_It all came to me one night. The truth of it all formed in my mind and that was when I finally understood. It seemed obvious, but coming to understanding it… It seemed to take a lifetime. Sorry, you don't know what I'm talking about, do you? Well let me tell you. _Tonight, I was sitting alone at a table. In my hand was a tumbler of Scotch to help my thoughts swirl about. _I was at a club. It was Karyme's favorite thing back when we were on Leynoh Island, so I thought tonight, this is where I'll come. _The loud music rang in my ears and my foot tapped to the beat. I sat there, watching the dancers out on the floor from my little perch as I thought to myself. _These thoughts of mine, formed with memories from long ago, up until now, they helped me to understand. I knew! Ah, I'm getting a little off topic now. Rambling. Okay, I'll explain this to you so you can understand as well. First, I must ask you a few questions…_

_ …What is love really? Can we all say that we understand and know the workings of this complicated emotion? Can any of us grasp just how deep love can delve? Most people only scratch the surface. They think they are in love… Know love… Can call it their own… But a lot of people use it as a tool. Do they deserve to know what it feels like to truly be in love? Does love have to be worked for? Or does it have to be earned?_

_ But, see, that's just it, isn't it? None of us really do know. At least not until we figure it out for ourselves and sometimes it is a process easier said than done. You see, there is no emotion quite like it. It can twist us and form us into something completely unknown without us even realizing it, whether it is something good or even worse. Of course we'd all like to think that we know. Foolish. Young love is what it's called, I think. None of us can really fathom the complexity of this amazing emotion. I thought I knew too. Oh yes, I thought I had it all figured out. Like I knew it like the back of my hand… But how wrong I was… Oh, so wrong… Let me tell you this story of mine, starting back from the very beginning… Back to when Malak was defeated and when I had … Lost her…_

_ Those were my worst times, the darkest of days for me… But then, out of nowhere, a flash! Bright lights pierced my eyelids. A loud ringing in my ears? Was I alive again? I couldn't tell… My mind felt shattered. I only caught snippets of my senses. But I couldn't feel anything… I couldn't be alive, there was no way… But was I? I tried opening my eyelids. Nothing. I couldn't even open my eyes. That settled it. I had to be dead… But then where were the shouting voices coming from? I heard them. I listened._

"Look, sir, we're trying our best. But I'm going to be honest and not give you false hope. It doesn't look good at all. We might not be able to save him."

"No! You're going to try again, damn it! We're not losing him!"

"Sir, I-"

"Ally! We have brain activity!" _Wait… Were there people around me?_ "Get your gloves on!" I tried again to open my eyes. _Still nothing._ However, someone or something, did it for me. A man dressed in white opened my eyelid and shined a bright light into it, looking around. _I must have been lying on my back._ Another bright light hung from the ceiling right above me. _Was I really alive?_ Darkness embraced me once again as the man let go of my eyelid.

"Come on, keep him stable now. We may only have seconds!"

"Scalpel."

"Heart rate climbing."

"Hand me the forceps." _Karyme…_ I could feel my sense slipping. _I was losing them. I was losing grip…_

"Heart rate critical!"

"We're losing him again."

"Give him some more anesthetic and ready the defibrillator!" _Everything went blank again…_

_ Now you may have thought I died on that dreadful day. And, well, I did. But somehow my unconscious self managed to hang onto a single thread of hope. Somehow, I managed to cling to life in my final hours. I don't even really know exactly how I did it. I tried to remember, I really did, but the harder I tried to recall the events, the more I seemed to lose memory of them. It was like trying to cup water in your hands. No matter what you do, all of it will trickle away eventually. There really was no event large enough that it planted itself in my mind to remember. My first real memory after the… incident, happened about a week later. It was the first real memory that wasn't in bits and pieces._

I had awoken from my unconsciousness for the first time. I looked around my surroundings and realized that I was in a hospital room. I was lying on a bed, propped up in the back. _So I really was alive then…_ I took a moment just to ponder on the luck I had to have had to still be alive after all of the wounds I had suffered down in that dreadful cave. _I never realized how much I appreciated my senses until now._ _Sight… It was amazing._ I looked at the sparkling sun's rays reflecting off of the clean floor. The colors around the room, so vibrant and filled with life._ And hearing too. _I heard nurses and doctors bustling around outside of my room, tending to their business.

I just lied there for a few minutes, taking everything in to process for myself. The nurses that took care of me every day were very relieved to see that I was finally awake from my unconscious sleep. I asked them questions but most of them said they were too busy and some gave me very short answers. I was able to figure out that it was a week after I had been pulled out of the cave. I also found out that my friends came to visit me every day, but I wasn't able to get an answer about who came to visit as the doctors didn't know them by name. _I sure hope everyone made it out okay…_

The doctors and nurses were in and out of my room all day, running tests and asking how I was feeling. My answer was the same the entire day to each of them. _Fine… Just, fine… Well at least physically. _My chest and right leg were numbed completely, so I couldn't feel anything. Apart from some stinging from the cuts on my arm, I felt no pain whatsoever. I looked down my hospital shirt at my chest. Bandages covered every bit of my skin from my armpits down to my navel._ That was where his claws… And my broken ribs…_ I let go of my shirt and tossed my head back against the pillow. _Odd, how I seemed fine after all of that… Like all of my wounds were just a scratch!_ I pondered and pondered, reliving the events from what felt like only hours ago. _It was impossible! It's not fair!_ _ I was the one that should have died! I shouldn't be here!_ And that was about the time when I started yelling…

Later, when the sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon, they came. My friends and Kain came to visit me. _My son._ I heard excited voices outside of my room, in the corridor. The sound of padded footsteps and nails clicking along the tiled floor reached my ears as well. And then through the doorway and into the room skidded Kain. His face lit up happily as he saw me awake. He bounded over to my bed, jumping up and putting his paws on the side of my bed. He laid his head on my shoulder affectionately in a sort of hug.

"Dad," he said as he did his best to hug me. I gazed down at him for a second before slowly wrapping my arms around the back of his head and neck.

"Kain," I replied softly, holding him close. _My son, my flesh and blood._ I held him tight._ I was so happy to see him. It was nearly indescribable, the intense amount of happiness that I was feeling right now..._

The next second, Mytka hurried into the room as well. I could tell she had to try hard to restrain herself from jumping onto me. She hugged me tight around my chest.

"Alex!" she exclaimed happily. She squeezed me around the middle. I flinched, feeling some pain from my bruised ribs and the wounds on my chest, but it didn't matter. _I was just so happy to see them. When I woke up that morning, I almost felt like I wouldn't see anyone ever again. I didn't really know why. But the sense of relief that filled my heart now was staggering. I struggled hard to stop myself from crying._ They both let go of me and smiled happily at me. I grinned weakly back at them, finally happy for the first time this day. But then my other friends filed into the room as well. First Luna, then Drake, followed by Ryo. Luna walked up beside me and embraced me.

"Alex. It's so good to see you," she said, pulling away and gazing at my face and glancing at my wounds.

"Hey, hey man!" Drake exclaimed. He walked up next to Luna and grasped my hand in a handshake. He laughed excitedly as I grinned feebly back at him.

"Doing better, I assume," Ryo said, walking up on my other side. He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I could read the excited and relieved looks on my friend's faces, obviously happy to finally see me conscious and doing well. I scanned the room. I looked for her. _For Karyme… She wasn't here… I almost expected her to come walking in the door now, lighting up the whole room as usual. I hoped she would. I'd see her beautiful smile… Her warm and comforting gaze… But I knew she wouldn't. I knew that it was just impossible. It could never happen. I accepted it right then and there. She wasn't coming back… Ever…_

My face fell slightly in Karyme's absence. I knew that Luna could sense my saddening Aura and she reacted almost instantly, stepping towards me.

"We came to see you every day, but you were, you know, unconscious still. We're all glad to see you, Alex." She smiled warmly down at me and everyone else nodded in agreement. _I tried hard. Tried not to cry. I couldn't really handle it all though. This was way more than I could handle. My friends, they were the best I could ever hope for. I could tell without a doubt that they all cared so much for me. I know I cared for them all as well. I held them very close to my heart. When we all first met, I was there when they needed a helping hand to help them back on their feet. Drake. Well, I could still remember back to when we got help for him to recover after getting attacked by those poachers. And Luna. After she had that nasty fall from the mountain, Drake and I were there to help her back on her feet and get better. Ryo. He needed help to rebel against his sadistic pack Alpha, and after all of that, he was left without a home. Drake, Luna and I welcomed him with open arms and ever since he has been an amazing addition to our little family. That's what we were really. A family. We all are always willing to help out each other when we need a helping hand sometimes. And now they were all here for me as well. I was overwhelmed with happiness, but at the same time I felt a dreadful pang of guilt. I just felt so sad by my loss of Karyme. Sad? Happy? What was I feeling? Both of these intense emotions collided together deep inside of me. My body didn't even know what to feel. So, I cried. Not full out bawling my eyes, but still, I cried. Crying for my happiness and for my sadness as well. There has never been a point in my life that I've felt more like this. I've never felt more out of place in the world…_

_ Oh yes, like I said, dark times indeed. This was an all new experience for me and I had no idea how to handle it or myself._

_ But we're getting off topic, aren't we? Back to my original question. Love, what is it? Well, for most of us, it is something that cannot be described, labeled or classified. It is something you either feel or don't feel. It's indescribable really, you just have to know that you're in love. However, there are three qualities that provide a base, structure and growing point for love. These three qualities include attraction, closeness or trust, and commitment. Love stems and grows with these three qualities binding them together and keeping the feeling of love strong._

_ Attraction… Well, let's just say that this is the easiest, yet most dangerous of the three. We all know what attraction is and have at no doubt experienced it at one point. This is that feeling where all it takes is one look and you feel as if you're in love with them. You want to have physical contact with that person and always stick close with them. This is what people mean by, "Love at first sight." It is true that love can start to blossom and grow after just a glance, but it's utterly impossible to be in "love" just from looking at someone. I could remember back to those first moments of waking up after Malak had knocked me out. I felt a lot of emotions. Fear, sadness, confusion, trepidation, and oddly, joy. I remembered all of the horror stories that I heard of Houndoom over the years. I feared that they were all true, that I'd be torn into pieces by this Houndoom that I woke up next to. But I didn't. Instead, this Houndoom gave me a smile. A smile that confused me to the very ends of my soul and back again about my next feeling. Attraction… The smallest fraction of it, but undoubtably attraction. There was something about her beautiful, silky coat and her calming facil features and expressions. This feeling grew very fast within me. Within a half of a day, I was undeniably attracted to Karyme._

Almost a week later, I was able to leave the hospital. We all sill lived at Kurt's residence. I was saddened greatly to hear that he had died during the last battle for Hearthome trying to protect civilians and get them to shelter. He died a great hero and the whole city honored him for that. I had of course missed his funeral due to still being unconscious in the hospital. John, who was Kurt's second man in charge was given leadership of the small town until a proper mayor was elected once again. I had also heard that leadership was divided between him and an Infernape named Derus. He was a compassionate leader as well and was the spokesman for the Pokemon in the city.

I was confined to a bed the first few days but eventually I gained enough strength to walk. My ankle had healed miraculously fast. The doctors were stumped that it had recovered in as little as two weeks. _I didn't dare tell them about my mixed Houndoom DNA. _I was up and walking in little time. My ribs healed as well. The huge gashes in my chest were still in the processing of healing, helped greatly by the numerous stitches I received. Soon after my incident, life returned to normal in Hearthome first and slowly spread out to the neighboring towns. I watched the news almost every day for updates on Sinnoh's condition, mostly as something to keep my mind occupied. Most of it was just telling how the cities were rebuilding and how pockets of fighting popped up here and there as the last of Malak's supporters were wiped out. A lot of his followers dispersed and now lived in the wild again and some came to the cities for food and shelter while their wounds healed. All in all, the news was good news, but most of it wasn't good at all. One night, they held a memorial program for all of the fallen soldiers and civilians. They spotlighted Kurt as the true hero who pulled us through the Pokemon Uprising. _It was kind of hard to believe that he was gone…_

I walked around the ruined city almost every day. _I felt so distant from everyone else. I felt like I didn't belong at all in this city. Like I was dragging them down with my saddened emotions._ I watched them rebuilding the destroyed buildings and streets as I walked by them each day. Children finally ran about, now that the danger was gone. They laughed, they played, not a single care or worry plaguing their souls. Some days, I almost envied them. With all of the warmth of joy and happiness floating around me, I felt even more like a lost and cold soul. _Yup, just me, the party pooper._

_ There was even a small part of me that tried to find images in the city. I tried hard to see Karyme, any sign at all of her. Sometimes my mind would play tricks on me and I'd think I saw her peering out from a dark alleyway at me. Sometimes I'd see her shadow on the sidewalk, but it would just be an illusion…_

Some of my time I spent in the park. It had been removed of its makeshift hospital and its beautiful scenery was restored. I gazed up at the trees above me. I sat alone on this bench underneath a large Oak. The shining sun's rays shone through the branches, the swaying leaves filtering it before it hit the ground. As I looked up, I felt the soft breeze blow its warm air gently across my face. I listened to the soothing rustling of leaves as they shifted back and forth in the wind. I turned my head and gazed down at the luscious green grass in the park. I just sat there for a minute, watching the blades of grass drift in the breeze, the sun sparkling on the dew drops. _Nature… This was nature at its finest. Everything was so calm and serene. Whenever I would feel animosity, anguish or trepidation years ago, I would escape to the forest. I would let nature's gentle touch embrace me. I would let the beautiful scenery take me in. I would let the serenity help me unwind. It would always make me feel better, no matter what. Nobody could steal that from me. Nobody could take away the comfort of nature. It was my own, personal, piece of heaven._

_ But no, not on this day. _My old trick was failing to come to my aid right when I really needed it the most. My body felt numb, I didn't feel like my true self anymore. My very soul felt torn apart, struggling to keep going on. I was now only pieces of what I used to be, stuck in this world all alone. _Stuck in this world to continue suffering._

That is why I spent a lot of my time away from the house. I had to distract myself or else my mind would start to wander and I'd think about… Well, anyway, a lot of nights I'd wind up at Kerrigan's. It was a small little place and Colin was really cool about everything. He always gave me a meal on the house because he was one of the few people who actually knew the real story of what happened in Mt. Coronet. He knew exactly what I went through and didn't ever ask a single question about it.

Tonight was a good night. The small little pub was nearly empty. I sat at the bar, perched on a bar stool. I swished the remnants of my bourbon around in my glass. I gazed at the copper liquid before draining the last of it. _It… Made me feel better…_ I still eyed my empty glass, just thinking. I heard footsteps as Colin walked over to me from behind the bar.

"Aye, Alex. Ye fancy another scoop, lad?" I peered up at Colin with a weak grin.

"Not tonight, Colin. You know how I am." Colin nodded in understanding.

"Any time yer feelin' up to bein' langered, ye know where to be headin' chap." He clapped me on the shoulder as he chuckled. Behind me, a few guys were playing pool. They cheered loudly and from the shuffling sound, I could tell they were horsing around as usual. I didn't pay them much attention at all, most nights. Almost every night I came here, they'd be here as well. And just like most nights, they were being just as rowdy and making a huge racket. Tonight, Colin looked over at them with disapproval.

"Ay! Fellas! If you ruffians can't keep yer alans on, yer gonna have to clear the fuck out, the lot of ye!"

"Hey dude," one of them replied. "We're sorry."

"Yeah, won't happen again, man." They put away their pool sticks and picked up their beers as they head over to the bar. They pulled up seats to the right of me to watch the 7 o'clock news. One of the guys turned their heads and looked over at me.

"Hey man," he said in my direction. I looked over at him as a reply. "You come in here a lot and you look a lot like that Alex guy." One of his friends punched him on the shoulder and laughed.

"Dude, that ain't Alex man. Get your head out of your ass!"

"Hey, fuck you man!" he replied back before turning back to face me again. "So, you aren't the real Alex, are you?" I looked at him for a few seconds before looking back down at my glass and replied with a, "Yep."

"Oh wow, that's awesome!" He turned to his friends, nudging them. "Hey, dickwads! It's the real Alex!"

"What?"

"No way!"

"Hey tell us about your battle with Malak!"

"No dude, come on. Have some respect, a lot of people died on that mission." I gripped my glass harder as I heard them talk.

"Which makes it even more epic!"

"Yeah, will you tell us Alex?"

"Come on man!"

"Yeah, tell us!" My anger rose up inside of me. It bubbled on the verge of explosion. My hands shook uncontrollably, my left slowly curling into a fist. _I wanted to hit them as hard as I could. Sink my fist into them and release all of my anger I had built up over the past week. I'd do it for Karyme. Do it, do it, do it! _Colin recognized my anger and addressed the other guys.

"You fellas would do right to shut yer traps if yuh know what's good for ye." My anger disapated from inside myself slowly._ No, I wasn't going to lash out at anyone. They didn't deserve it._ My hands finally stopped shaking as I unclenched my fist. I pushed my glass forward and mumbled, "Night Colin," as I stood up. I kicked the bar stool out from underneath me and headed for the door. I turned my collar up and stepped out into the cold night wind. My hands were dug deep into the pockets of my coat as I walked up the sloping street towards home. Darkness had fallen over the old city. I bowed my head against the harsh gusting wind._ I couldn't even make a dent in explaining my feelings or the many emotions coursing throughout my body day after agonizing day. I just missed her so much… Karyme… I didn't even know how I would be able to live on anymore. I felt lost in this wide world without her beside me. Adrift in the ocean without a sail. Lost in a dense jungle with no sense of direction, no guidance. All alone… Everywhere I went and everything I did every day, I felt lost. This overwhelming feeling of dread lingered over me like a swirling black cloud. It was a sense of complete helplessness. Like I was on the verge of death and I knew it…_ I stopped on a corner, underneath a tall street lamp._ I sometimes wondered if maybe she was living in the afterlife, looking down on me each day. Maybe she was watching me right now. _I gazed up at the night sky where only a few stars and a sliver of the moon were visible from behind the thick layer of clouds. _Maybe… Just maybe…_ A strong gust of wind blew from down the street, catching me off guard and making me shudder. I huddled back down into my coat to keep warm. _Damn wind._ I peered up at the sky once more, still bunkered down into the collar of my jacket. The clouds had completely covered up the remaining portion of the moon and obscured the stars from view. I sighed internally and turned around to head back up the dark and lonely street towards home. I trudged up this path I had beaten so many times. The gale blew hard, making me pull my coat around me tighter.

_Oh, what I'd do to have her back with me…_

_ As you can see, the days were obviously not getting any better for me. But no matter, we can move on. So… The second quality of love. Closeness or also known as trust. Closeness is that feeling of being able to entrust your partner with anything. Whether it be feelings, secrets, possessions, or even your well being. The feeling that no matter what happens, you have somebody to rely on to catch you. Somebody to cushion your fall, should you trip up. You can tell them anything and everything and they'll safeguard your secrets as if they were their own. It's like they're your other half, they complete you and make you a whole person. You can trust them with anything as if they were just another copy of you. They are the person you turn to for comfort during hardships, fear, or even if you are feeling lonely. You can be around them as yourself and not worry about a thing at all. Some people could describe closeness as just wanting to hug or cuddle all day together. But to put it simple, closeness is the feeling of safety and security around your partner._

_ Now, when I first met Karyme, I felt anything but close to her and I sure as hell didn't trust her at all. From what I was taught and told, Houndoom were evil. I thought she was a vicious killer and that she was going to eat me! However, I realized that she had saved me from a certain death from Malak and even nursed my wounds, helping me get back to full strength. We talked all day, telling each other our stories. We became very close with each other in a very short time, but our trust with each other was strong. It's like both of us just… knew. We had sewn together a bond between us that seemed very strong. By the end of that fateful day, I just felt like I could trust her and I'm sure she thought the same of me. The both of us felt very, very close to each other._

The following nights, my mind was plagued with evil and dark dreams. I slept unsoundly, disturbed by frightening images and hurt by heart-wrenching memories. I'd wake up in a flurry, cold sweat drenching my bare torso and the sheets wrapped tightly around my body. A couple of nights ago, I actually woke up with a yell after witnessing a horrid nightmare. Luna had come to inspect, opening my door with a sleepy yawn and asking if everything was all right. I assured her that I just hit my shin on the bedpost in the dark.

Every time it was time to sleep, I knew the nightmares would come. I dreaded going to sleep now. I'd do anything to make the horrible dreams stop. Even the pain I felt during that fight with Malak almost seemed favorable, because it didn't compare to the pain my heart felt after experiencing one of these dreams. As the days wore on, I grew even more tired each day. I nodded off during the days and became irritated very easily, even becoming short with my friends at times. I knew I needed the sleep, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it willingly. Not when I knew my slumber would be disturbed with horrid dreams.

One particular morning, I woke up violently after dreaming about losing Karyme once again.

"Karyme," I said as I awoke, bolting upright in my bed. Sunlight poured in through the window, its rays lying across my bedspread. I breathed heavily, the remnants of the nightmare slowly fading from my mind. I fell backwards into my pillows and gazed at the ceiling. _It was just a bad dream. None of it actually happened. It was just a bad dream._ I sat up and swung my legs off of the bed to get dressed. A small part of me nagged and told me that it actually did happen. That I really did lose Karyme and it wasn't just a dream. I ignored it and continued dressing myself. As I was pulling on my socks, there was a light knock on the door followed by Luna sticking her head in.

"Alex? What would you like for breakfast?" she asked me. I pulled a grin onto my face and turned around to look at her from where I was sitting on the bed.

"Oh, I'll be all right Luna. I'll just make myself a piece of toast."

"Are you sure though? I'm already making everyone else something."

"No, I'm fine Luna."

"Eggs? Pancakes?"

"No."

"Bacon? Hash browns?"

"Luna."

"Or how about some waffles? Or I could even make you some oatmeal!"

"Luna!" I snapped. Luna looked startled at my raised voice. "I don't want anything, so just leave me alone already!" She cringed slightly.

"Oh, um… Okay Alex… Sorry," she said in a very small voice. She looked hurt as she stepped out of the room and closed the door quietly. The second she left, my face fell. I knew I shouldn't have been so harsh. I sighed deeply and continued dressing myself a few moments later. Once I had finished, I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. I found Luna rummaging through the cupboards as she looked for food to make breakfast with. She saw me walk in and looked quickly back down at what she was doing the second we made eye contact. I approached her slowly.

"Look, Luna," I said, not sure how to go about this. "I'm sorry for… well, for what I said. I didn't mean to blow up at you like that at all." She turned around and hugged me tightly around the middle. I was thrown off for a minute, not really expecting a hug from her.

"I know that I can never understand what you're going through," Luna said. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to try. I know that myself and the rest of us will always be here to support you. No matter how hard it may be, I'm sure that we can all do it together," she said, putting emphasis on her last word. She let go of me and looked up at my face hopefully. I still looked utterly bewildered, my face blank of expression. After a few moments, I tugged a grin onto my face.

"Thanks Luna. I'm lucky to have you guys as my friends." She returned my smile and hugged me again.

"Oh, we all love you very much Alex, and we hate to see you this way. Anything you need, anytime, just ask." As I hugged her back, I gazed up and looked into the living room across the kitchen counter. Drake was seated in front of the T.V. eating some cheese snack crackers. He turned around chewing with his mouth full and flashed me a thumbs up.

"Yeah, what she said," Drake said after swallowing the crackers and laughing. Ryo was sitting on the couch next to him and looked over as well with an encouraging smile. Luna pulled away from me and returned to what she was doing.

"Now, you're going to relax for a little bit while I make you both something to eat." I chuckled as she shooed me into the other room with Drake.

We all ate breakfast when it was ready. Mytka and Kain came downstairs after waking up and ate with us. After breakfast, Mytka and Kain hurried off into the city to explore and have fun. I stayed behind with Drake, Ryo and Luna and we hung out the rest of the day. We talked and told jokes most of the time. A little after noon, we went for a walk through the Hearthome Gardens and admired the various flora. After we were done there, we made our way home for dinner. We ate together, with Mytka and Kain joining us just as the food was done. After dinner, I decided to head off to the park again. I offered for the others to come as well, but they were all tired after the day we all had. So alone I went.

I decided to visit Kurt's memorial tonight. It had been quite a long time since I had been there. _Nearly a week. I went there as soon as I was able to walk around on my own._ The building stood in the center of the park where it had been constructed. The building had originally been used as a museum, but the exhibits were moved into storage until a new museum had been constructed for them. The people of Hearthome thought a memorial was much more important. I walked into the white building and stopped in front of the grand statue of Kurt and his Pokemon. But something glinted out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look and saw something new. _They added another wing._ Off to the left was a long hallway filled with stone monuments and photographs of people and Pokemon. I made my way over to the enormous archway that led into the new branch. On the very top of the archway were some words inscribed upon the stone.

"Hearthome will forever welcome those brave souls, lost in its final hour. May we honor and never forget the memories they left behind – Derus," I read aloud, under my breath. Wtihout further delay, I stepped into the hall and began looking at all of the memorials. I noticed that almost all of the right side of the hall were stone statues and caskets of people and Pokemon. The large windows high up on the wall on the left shone down sunlight from the setting sun. It poured over the stone, illuminating the memorials beautifully. On the left was a long wall of photographs of other people who had died. Beneath the photographs were their name, the date of their death, a small quote and a brief explanation on how these heroes died. _Almost like a tombstone._ I kept on walking through the hall, glancing back and forth between the stone monuments and photos. Eventually I reached the end of the hall, where something caught my eye. _Something I recognized, or actually someone. _A picture of a man that I fought with up on that wall to defend Hearthome. _It was a picture of Derek._ Up on a plinth was a large stone casket in honor of Derek's sacrifice for the city and humanity. I gazed at the many photographs and other things used for his memorial. _One picture, I actually recognized. _It was a picture of a woman standing on a beach in a white dress. She had her hand laying over a bump on her stomach. Only half of her face could be seen because a hole in the photo ripped through, tearing away half of her. _It was his fiancé._ I glanced over the tribute that had been erected for Derek. _It was so hard to believe that so many people had given their lives in this battle for Hearthome. Derek… Kurt… _I looked back down the hall at all of the photographs and memorials._ All of them represented a lost life. There were just so many though…_

As I was just about to leave, I saw a woman a couple of meters away from me slowly ambling among the memorials. _I felt like I knew her… I did! It was Derek's fiancé. What was her name?… I think it was Michelle._ She finally reached Derek's picture, a couple of feet away from me. _Oh no…_ I saw in her left hand, she was carrying a newborn. A small little baby, all wrapped up in a couple of blankets. Its big eyes were blinking up at the ceiling in the cutest way. I watched as Michelle picked up the photo laying against Derek's casket. I saw that it was a picture of them. Derek was laughing joyously while Michelle kissed him on the cheek. Michelle's eyes began to tear up. She eventually sobbed quietly as she looked at the photograph of her and Derek. _Oh man… Should I say something? What should I do?_ She looked over at me and put the picture back down against the casket. She let a small chuckle escape in between her sobs as I looked over at her. She wiped at her eyes to clear her tears.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this," she said, trying again to wipe away the tears with her free hand. I didn't really know how to respond to that.

"Oh, no, it's all right," I said stupidly. She looked back at her love and his laughing face.

"Did you know him at all?" she asked me.

"Yeah, we fought together when they attacked Hearthome." _ I didn't want to tell her I was also there when he died. _She smiled at me, not saying anything. I looked for something else to say. _Anything._ I looked at the baby cradled in her right arm and smiled.

"He's really cute. What's his name?"

"Well, actually her name is Danielle," she replied. "She's only a month old." I smiled again at the small baby girl as she yawned in her mother's arms. I reminded myself that the sun was setting and I needed to get home.

"It was very nice to meet you," I said. I'm afraid I have to set off for home, it's getting late. And… I'm very sorry for your loss. Really, he was a good man and I didn't even know him that well." She looked back at Derek's picture.

"He was," she said solemnly. _I could sense the sadness overwhelming her._ "I wish you could have gotten to know him better." She looked back up at me. "But it was very nice to meet you as well. And thank you for being there with him." I nodded at her. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," I replied. She turned back around to look at her lost love's tribute some more. I was ready to set to set off back down the hallway and took a couple of steps towards the exit, when something else caught my eye. My heart fell out of my chest as I cautiously approached it. _It was her… Karyme…_ I walked up to the large wall on my right with pictures pinned up all over it. I pulled a photo off of the wall and held it in my trembling hand. It was a photo I remember being taken, but never have I actually seen it. It was a picture of me sitting at Kurt's kitchen table. We were playing cards. Next to me in the photo was Karyme. She was nuzzling me affectionately under my neck. I looked back down at the wall and saw her name etched into the stone in a flowery font. Underneath her name were four small words. _Were it so easy…_ My eyes brimmed with tears as I saw the other pictures placed around her name. I placed the photograph in my hand back on the wall and gazed at the other pictures. There was a photo of her lying in the grass, fast asleep behind Kurt's house. The sun reflected off of her shiny coat and horns. Her eyes were shut as she slept peacefully. I took in her beauty with longing._ I missed her… So much…_ I looked at the last picture. This one I copy, not the original which I still had stowed away in my backpack_. It was a photo of Karyme and I from long ago. It was a picture of both of us on Rayquaza's Rage, a ride photo. This was back to when I was only nineteen years old, back to when we were still on Leynoh, two years ago._ My eyes welled up again._ We both looked so full of life… So young… So carefree… So happy… Together…_ Tears leaked slowly out of my eyes. I looked over these reminders, these memories of my lost love. _She was so beautiful, so serene. Innocent. She had done nothing wrong. Yet, she was still dead. She didn't deserve it at all. It wasn't her fault. But none of it mattered though, did it? When it all came down to it, she was gone…_

I put the pictures back on the wall and set off. I dug my hands deep into my pockets and walked quickly down the hall. When I reached the end, I stopped and turned around slowly. Down at the other end of the hallway, I could see Michelle. She had her hand placed on the stone casket, looking up at Derek's monument. _She really did love him a lot… You know, me and her were very alike in our situations…_ After a few seconds, I turned back around and headed out of the building, into the setting sun…

_Well, it looks like there is only one more quality. Commitment. So what exactly is commitment? It is the quality of making a decision to be in a relationship and to stick to it. It's the ability to work with your partner through any hardships or bumps along the road. Staying with someone, no matter what happens. It even includes resisting the temptation from other potential mates and staying true to your partner. Without commitment, relationships would fall apart at the slightest murmur of instability._

_That day I visited Kurt's memorial, I had witnessed Michelle returning to her future husband despite not knowing if he was alive or dead. She had made the choice to stick with her partner through complete anarchy and chaos. That was commitment._

_ On that night I first met Karyme, I just knew I wanted her in my life. After hearing her story and sharing those moments of trust between each other, I was feeling very strong feelings towards her. Not to mention she did save my life after all. I knew that I wanted to be more than just friends with her. This is when the feeling of commitment had kicked in and I wanted to protect her from any future dangers. I wanted to provide for her, to give her a better life than the one she left behind. That night, on that hillside, I had committed my life to hers._

Emotions were raging through me like a wildfire. They twisted and tore inside of me, begging to be let out._ I couldn't control them as well as I had been doing the past couple of weeks. I was a loose cannon. _I hoped nobody stepped in my way as I thundered down the street because I honestly wouldn't know how I'd react. I tried my best to cool myself off as I walked into Kerrigan's Pub. I made my way up to the bar and pulled up a stool. Colin spotted me almost instantly and made his way over to me from behind the bar.

"Alex m'boy!" He said as cheerily as ever. "Usual again tonight, eh? Oi! Alice! Alex is-" I cut him off before he could finish.

"Not tonight Colin. I'm just feeling like having some drinks." Colin looked at me with a grin of excitement.

"Did ye say Alex, dear?" Alice, Colin's wife, asked, as she poked her head out the swinging door of the kitchen.

"Ay, but the young chap isn't fillin' his belly with food tonight," Colin replied. He turned back to face me, putting his hands on the bar and leaning in. "So, what do ye fancy tonight, lad?" I looked up at him.

"What have you got that is strong?"

"Oho! That's m'boy! Well, I just got a new shipment o' Welsh brew. Finest of the new stuff!"

"Give me that then, straight up."

"Ye got it. Good man!" He said, chuckling as he set off.

The night wore on longer and longer with me just downing drinks. The bar was pretty full tonight, so Colin didn't have much time to talk to me. _I was okay with that though. I mostly wanted to be alone right now._ People around me were laughing and having a good time, but I ignored them. I just wanted to sit here in peace with only my thoughts. The memories from when I met Karyme, all the way up to her death played through my head like a film stuck on repeat. My thoughts were of nothing but Karyme all night. I tried not to let anything disturb me. Even when people bumped into me, I swallowed the anger that rose from an already boiling point and took another drink.

I guess I didn't even realize how long I had been sitting there because when I looked up, I saw that I was the last person in the whole bar. Alice was busy behind me cleaning off the last of the tables. Colin walked over and clapped me on the shoulder, as he usually did.

"I'm sorry chap, but it's time to head out. Ye just make yer way home easy now, be careful."

"No, Colin, please," I pleaded. "Just a little longer."

"I can't Alex, ye know that. It'd already be a half hour past closin' time. I'll have to ask ye to leave, lad." The bouncer walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Ye have a safe night, m'boy," Colin said, smiling weakly at me before walking back into the kitchen to help his wife with closing chores.

"Come on man, let's go," the bouncer said, leading me over to the door. I walked out into the night, struggling to stay upright. "Get home safe dude," he said before shutting the door and locking it. I turned and started walking up the street, realizing only a second later that it was raining. I looked up as I was walking to look at the rain._ This was a mistake._ I lost my balance and fell face first onto the ground. _Damn it!_ I looked up and then I saw her. _It was Karyme! She was standing just a few meters away on the sidewalk! _I picked myself up and stumbled forward to embrace her._ She just… stood there…_ I was only a few feet away now. _Karyme!_ I fells to my knees and reached out in front of me to hug her. Instead my hands reached out to nothing and I fell onto the ground again, this time into a large puddle. _What the hell? _I picked my head up again and looked around. _She wasn't anywhere to be seen._ I picked myself up off of the ground again, soaked to the bone now. _But she was right there! I swear! _I looked around me and didn't see anybody around at all. _I guess I was just seeing things._ I shook my head hard and set off down the sidewalk again. I continued on home cautiously, trying not to endanger myself anymore.

I reached the house without anymore mishaps and stumbled in through the door. As soon as I shut the door, I heard a voice behind me.

"Alex!" I turned around and found Luna standing there. "Are you all right?" Ryo came out of the living room and into the foyer behind Luna.

"Oh yeah, I'm all right," I said. I was still a little wobbly, feeling very tired all of a sudden. Ryo noticed this and stepped forward, putting his thick arm underneath my armpits to help hold me up. He walked me into the living room, where I saw Drake snoring soundly in an armchair.

"Drake!" Luna hissed, trying to wake him up, but to no avail. "Drake!" she said a bit louder. Drake jolted awake, muttering something that sounded like, "Whozaire." He caught sight of me as Ryo set me down easily on the couch.

"Alex, man. You look like hell, what happened?" Ryo retreated out of the room, disappearing.

"Yeah," Luna added. "Are you sure you're okay?" I blinked blearily at them, confused.

"I'm fine guys. I just had a few drinks before coming back home." Luna looked at Drake and then back at me.

"Alex, you're bleeding though," she said, sounding worried.

"I am?" I asked.

"Yes, your cheek is bleeding, dear. Ryo went to get something to put on it." I raised a finger and drew it across my cheek before inspecting it. The tip of my finger was coated red. "And you're all wet too. What happened?"

"Well, it is raining outside, and I had to walk home." Luna looked really nervous now.

"It hasn't rained all day, Alex." Now I was really confused. _But I really thought it was raining… Was it? _Ryo returned at that moment with a bowl. He crouched down in front of me and dipped his fingers into paste that was in the bowl he was carrying. He smeared it gently over my cheek where my wound was. An intense searing feeling spread over my cheek. I grunted from the fiery pain.

"Easy, my friend," Ryo said. "The pain will subside soon and the herbal remedies will start the healing process." Just as Ryo said, the fire slowly subsided and was replaced with a very cool sensation.

_On the way home as I walked, I had thought long and hard about today's events and I eventually came to a conclusion. We had to leave Hearthome. I couldn't live here anymore. It was all too hard on me. I struck up my courage and spit it out._

"Look guys, I think we should leave Hearthome." _The three of them looked at me as if expecting me to say, "Just kidding!" But I wasn't, I was serious._

"Alex, why would you want to leave?" Luna asked.

"Because! You know, this place just sucks!" Drake shook his head.

"Come on man," he said, standing up. "We'll talk about this tomorrow."

"I agree," Ryo said. "Let's all turn in for the night." _I couldn't say anything else if they weren't willing to listen._ So I stood up and followed them upstairs to bed…

After another night of tossing and turning, I woke up to a beautiful morning. _Too bad it reflected the opposite of my mood._ My head pounded as I sat up in bed._ Never again…_ Nevertheless, I dressed myself and found the others in the kitchen. I explained my dilemma to them calmly and they understood completely. The only problem we were faced with now was where we would go. Hearthome was still a ragged city itself, rebuilding slowly. But considering that it was the only city able to be inhabited by humans during the Uprising, it was still in the best shape. Every single settlement out there was still hurting pretty badly. Nearly all of them still didn't have electricity or running water, making living there very rough. Our best bet would have to be Leynoh, my home region. We'd have to hope it wasn't as ravaged as Sinnoh was. _ I could also see my mother. I missed her a lot as well and knowing her, I'm sure she missed me just as much as I missed her, tenfold._

So, after eating breakfast, we left the house. I stowed everyone back inside their Pokeballs for the long journey. I paused for a moment, staring at Karyme's empty Pokeball. I put it safely in my backpack with the others and climbed onto Drake's back. Drake was confident he could make the journey all the way to Leynoh without stopping, so I settled in for the long ride. Noon had come and gone and by that time, we were already halfway across the large ocean that separated Sinnoh and Leynoh. Over my shoulder behind us, Sinnoh was just disappearing from view over the horizon. We saw nothing but a large expanse of blue for a couple of hours. Eventually as the sun sunk low in the sky, my home finally appeared. First, as a tiny dot on the horizon and then eventually growing into the large island it was. Westfield could be seen in the forefront, its large skyscrapers reaching upwards. As we flew over it, I could see it looked like any normal city, bustling neatly and in order. There was no damage or hardships here. _I was so happy to see it all intact. We made it home. After all this time, it almost felt like a dream. It was a refreshing breath of fresh air. The feeling of safety, being in a place that I knew, felt good…_ We flew over the last of the skyscrapers and over the large fields before the forest. The thick tree canopy of the North Forest looked just as beautiful, yet just as menacing as ever as we flew over the tree tops. I thought about my spot in the forest that I'd retreat to as a kid. _It was very peaceful. I wouldn't mind returning there sometime soon. Yeah, that sounded nice._

Once we reached my hometown of Westfield River, we touched down in front of my house. Drake panted hard from flying all day. He leaned on the fence that ran around my yard and tried to catch his breath.

"You did good Drake, thank you," I said, letting everyone out of their Pokeballs. Drake waved his free arm at me, still panting hard as he leaned on the fence post.

"Bah… Nothing… It was nothing," he said in between breaths. I heard a door open and saw my mother running towards me down the front path.

"Oh Alex!" she said in hysterics. "I watched the news and heard all of the terrible news from Sinnoh, I worried every day. Are you okay? Are you all right? Oh, I'm so happy to see you!" She embraced me tightly around the middle and I hugged her back. _Like I said, completely ecstatic._

"It's good to see you mom," I said. _I was really happy to see her. I had been gone for far too long._ We all walked inside and continued talking in there while my mom was sent into a flurry, trying to make food for us. As she usually did, she had outdone herself and we had an enormous dinner. I dug into my favorite mashed potatoes._ It was good to be finally home._

The rest of the night passed without too much excitement at all. We talked and caught up with each other. My mom was surprised to see that Mytka had grown so much and even evolved. Later on in the evening the nightly news came on. We all curled up on the sofa with some of my mother's hot cocoa and watched. They showed videos of the other settlements in Sinnoh rebuilding and played a few stories of the heroes that survived the battle. After the news, we continued talking long into the night until we all became sleepy and eventually retired to our beds.

I walked into my room and was assaulted with old memories. My dresser hung open with all of my favorite old Death Metal bands and Hardstyle artists from my teen years. _I remembered these…_ I walked over to my other dresser and rifled through the drawers, finding old mementos._ Jade's old toy, a squishy Pokeball._ I thought about her for a moment and all of the memories we made together. _I missed her, I missed Karyme. It seemed so unfair that both of them had been taken from me so suddenly by Malak. That demon…_

I put Jade's toy back in the drawer and shut it. I kicked off my shoes and jumped backwards onto my bed. For a few minutes I just stared up at my ceiling, thinking to myself. I lost track of time and I fell asleep accidently, still in my clothes…

_Tonight was the night. I was going to find her. I was going to be happy again. The rolling hills were dark as I walked. I was out in the middle of nowhere. The moon shone brightly, bathing the ground in its soft blueish glow. I stopped to look around me. The grass. It stood tall, a little past my waist. I couldn't see anything else besides the tall grass. It swayed back and forth gently in the breeze. I kept walking along the beaten dirt path. I suddenly saw her. Karyme! I started running after her, off of the path and into the tall grass. I lost sight of her but I still ran. I didn't know why, but running started to become harder and harder. My feet started sloshing through water, as it slowly became thicker and thicker. I was in a swamp now. The rolling hills of tall grass disappeared. I saw her swimming away. I swam as fast as I could after her. The water around me started rushing. I suddenly careened over a waterfall with Karyme. I feel and fell, my silent scream going unheard. I closed my eyes as the bottom approached. Instead of meeting my death at the bottom of the waterfall, I hit something leafy and soft. I toppled out of a large hedge. I was in the middle of a city. Karyme was still running. I ran after her right into a busy street. I didn't see the bus as it hit me. I flew through the air and landed in a puddle of mud, right in the middle of a dense forest. Karyme was still running away, down the overgrown path. I got up and tore my way through the undergrowth. The trees thinned as we ran, until eventually we were running along a steep mountain cliff. Karyme dove off the side, disappearing from view. Without even thinking, I jumped off after her. I looked down and received a jolt of shock. I was hurtling headfirst into a large bubbling volcano. Karyme was still falling in front of me. As she was moments away from hitting the boiling hot lava, an enormous set of Mightyena jaws burst forth from it and swallowed her whole. I was next. A second before I was eaten, I shut my eyes. Nothing happened, so I opened my eyes and found myself staring at the ceiling of my bedroom…_

I lay there for a few seconds before finally sitting up in bed._ Just a bad dream…_ I was surprised that I wasn't sweaty and that the sheets weren't wrapped around my body. I was also surprised to see Kain curled up at the foot of my bed._ It put a small smile on my face._ I looked over at the clock. _6:57._ _Still pretty early for breakfast._ I swung my feet off of my bed and put my shoes back on my feet. _I guess I'd go for a quick morning walk before everyone woke up._

The brisk morning air felt cool on my face as I walked out the screen door of my house. I set off, walking through the grass, the morning dew dampening my shoes. Just as the sun was peeking over the trees in the East, I reached the edge of the North Forest. _I was heading towards my old spot where I used to relax and unwind. I hope it was just as I remembered it._ After a minute of walking through the trees, I eventually reached my sanctuary. _It was still as beautiful as ever._ The sun was shining through the leaves, and as it was filtered, it made everything around me seem greener. The large Maple tree that was placed in the corner of the small clearing stood tall, making it the center of attention as always. There was a small nook in the bottom in between the roots that was perfect for sitting down with a nice book and forgetting all of your worries. I made my way over to it and settled in just like I always did. I leaned my head back against the trunk and closed my eyes. I felt, smelled and listened to all of the wonderful sensations of nature around me. I could feel the soft blades of grass on my fingertips. I smelled the scent of bark from the tree and the smell of the rich soil beneath me. I heard the rustling leaves above me as they shifted in the breeze. I could hear the morning bird Pokemon chirping as they woke up._ Serenity… I could finally be at peace here… The beautiful and soothing sense of nature flowed over me, embracing me gently with its calming touch._ The minutes passed by uninterrupted by anything or anyone. I relaxed and eased my pain and frustration._ But what was this? I thought I heard something else. Something moving._ I compelled myself to open my eyes. I saw something hidden in the shadow of the trees, silently watching me. I stood up and peered into the semi-darkness at the figure. As I looked closer, it slowly stepped out of the shadows and was illuminated by the brilliant sun. _A beautiful shimmering coat and a pair of gleaming horns. No… But the eyes… those chocolate brown eyes… _It felt like my heart was beating in my throat. _It was Karyme!_ I forgot how to breathe. I reached my arm out towards her and took a couple of tentative steps in her direction. I halted as I quickly reminded myself of the other few times I had seen Karyme. _Or thought that I had seen her…_ I spun around and shut my eyes, shaking my head._ No, it wasn't real. She wasn't real. She was just an illusion created by my mind to try and trick me into believing she was still alive. She wasn't though, I watched her die right in front of me. She's dead! _The last thing I expected at that moment was to hear her voice.

"Alex," she said softly. I turned around slowly and looked at Karyme. _My lost love._ She was taking small steps towards me. I took a few steps towards her as well before stopping again.

"No!" I shouted. I fell to my hands and knees. "Leave me alone!" I hit the ground hard with my fist, a tear leaking out of my eye. "You're not real!" _It wasn't her. She was dead. Was she? It was fake. Just another illusion. Why wouldn't they go away? Go away already!_

I heard footsteps and looked up with my tearstained face when a pair of paws appeared on the ground my eyes were fixed on. Karyme's face was inches away from mine. I froze in place, unable to move. Time slowed to a crawl. All I could see and hear was her. The world seemed to erase itself from around me. I gazed into her chocolate brown eyes and I felt that familiar warmth. _That warmth I missed so dearly._

"Alex," she said again. Her beautiful voice serenaded the air around me like a set of chimes. _I was entranced by it._ She leaned her head in and slowly grazed my cheek with her own. I could feel her soft and warm fur. _I could feel her! But that meant…_

"K-Karyme?" I asked nervously. Her mouth was right next to my ear.

"It's me, Alex," she whispered gently. She pulled back and I looked at her again. _I felt like I didn't know what to feel at that point. My senses failed, my emotions didn't kick in and my mind went blank._

"Karyme," I managed to say. I wrapped my arms tightly around her and pulled her close to me. I suddenly started crying as happiness burst forth from my very soul and flooded through me. _After a nearly a month of feeling nothing but pain and despair, it overwhelmed me to feel this much joy. It almost hurt._ I cried into her shoulder as she nuzzled my neck affectionately.

"Karyme, I can't believe it's really you," I said in between sobs._ I was reunited with her after I had believed she was lost forever. I thought I would never be able to lay my eyes on her again. _"I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Alex," Karyme said. I looked at her and smiled._ Genuinely smiled for the first time in a month._ I hugged her again._ I don't know what happened or how this moment came to be after what I had witnessed. All I knew right now was how elated I was to see her again. I couldn't stop thinking about how much I loved her. Nothing could ever relate to this feeling. My love, my Karyme was alive and well and better yet… She was with me again…_

I was distracted as I heard pounding footsteps approaching. I heard Kain's voice a few moments later.

"Dad, I saw you left. I didn't know where you went so I followed your scent and I…" Kain stopped as he saw who was sitting next to me. I let Karyme go and she gazed over at her son, a warm smile planted on her face. Kain looked on in disbelief as I noticed a few more tears leak from Karyme's eyes. No words were said as Kain took a couple steps towards us, eventually breaking out into a trot. He nuzzled his mother.

"Mom," he said, a few tears running down his cheeks.

"Oh, Kain," Karyme said. I hugged the both of them tightly towards me._ All three of us. We were together once again, something I thought wouldn't happen. We were reunited. We were a family once again…_

_Now, if you think my point for telling you all of this is just for the fact of a sad story, then you'd be wrong. No, my point of telling you all of this is to inform you all of an important lesson. Love… A very powerful emotion and is definitely not meant to be taken lightly. Love is, in fact, a double-edged sword. On one hand it can make you the happiest you have ever felt in the world. On the other hand, it can reduce you to a pathetic version of yourself or even sculpt you into a completely different someone you never wished to be, in just a matter of seconds. You all witnessed what I went through those few weeks after I thought Karyme had died. I was a completely different person than what I used to be. Very moody and ready to snap at any moment. It was all out of my love for Karyme, who I thought I had lost. It had changed me. Sadness, anger, worry, confusion. These are just a few of the emotions that can stem directly from love._

_ If you take those three qualities I had explained earlier and put them together, love can grow. It isn't love though without all of these together, as one. Attraction without closeness and commitment is lust. Closeness without attraction or commitment is merely a comforting friend. And commitment without attraction or closeness is a dull and dying relationship. Only these three qualities can keep love alive and strong._

_ I'm sure nearly all of you have but one question. Why am I telling you all of this? It's simple really. I have gone through these hardships and I know it is better to love than to not. Put aside any difference and disagreements you have and appreciate love for what it is, not for what it brings. Love is a grand gift and not to be disregarded so easily. Your partner could have picked anyone in this whole wide world full of billions of people to love and they chose you. Don't you think that's something special? I do. So go ahead, give another hug, spend another hour with them, say I love you one more time because who knows when it could all fall apart? You can only truly love someone when you put their needs, their happiness, their interests before yours. Love is only found when you care for someone more than you care for yourself. So love them like it's your last day on Earth and don't regret any of your decisions along the way. If you make a mistake, they'll forgive you. Love can only get stronger through mistakes and forgiveness. This special gift was given to you and only you for a reason. Cherish it, hold it close and dear and whatever you do, do not squander it. Treasure, protect and value what you have before it turns into what you had. That's all you need to do, love will do the rest._

I sipped on my drink as I sat alone at my table at this night club. The music was still bumping loudly and people and Pokemon were out on the dance floor enjoying themselves. The song ended at that moment and I watched everyone cheer.

"All right, all right!" The DJ's voice boomed though the speakers over the applause. "Hope that one pumped you guys up!" The crowd responded with a loud cheer. "Well it shoulda'! That was 'Let Me Hit It' by the one and only Sporty - O! Yeah, that's how we do it right here!" I turned around as I felt a paw on my shoulder. I was greeted with Karyme's dazzling smile.

"What are you doing over here by yourself?" she asked.

"Just thinking," I responded. The music started up again.

"Well, get up! Let's go dance!" she said. I chuckled and stood up, walking out onto the dance floor with her.

"Hey, you guys better get ready for this," the DJ said over the music. "Cause we're about to go hard. Hardstyle that is, with 'Paranoid' by Deepforces!" Karyme and I moved in time with the beat as the music bumped and the lights flashed. Everyone hand their hands up in the air, bouncing to the hard base line. The lights died down in build up to the drop and the strobes flashed over the crowd, making the crowd go ecstatic. The beat dropped again and everyone was moving in time now. Karyme had her eyes closed as she moved with the music freely. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

_Love… It was definitely strong between us. I loved her with all of my heart and I knew that was something that would never change between us. I loved everything about her. There was nothing I could even consider pointing out that I didn't. She loved me back unconditionally and that is all I could ever ask for. She was a great person. Kind, caring, respectful and strong willed. To you she may just be any other Houndoom out there. But to me… She was one of a kind. She was special. She was my Karyme. To me, she was Karyme: the perfect love…_

** End Notes: **Before I say anything, I'd like to just thank every single one of you who have gotten to this point and quite frankly gotten me to this point. Honestly, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of you readers out there, because I had lost faith in this story, but I knew you guys would be disappointed if I didn't follow through. I'm glad I did follow through because this had turned out much better than I had ever expected! So, each of you readers are very special to me. Please do drop in a review before you go, and I will thank each of you individually for reading. How will I do this you may ask? Well I do plan on making another chapter to add on, but don't worry, it has no story to it. I merely wanted to thank everyone in it and give you all a couple of fun facts and trivia about the story. Some little insight on it. I can also give you guys anything you wanted along the lines of, "How many original OC's appeared," or "How many days passed in the story." Things like that, so drop in some suggestions if you want to know something. I will answer EVERY question you guys throw at me! Also, I am considering a sequel to this story. This hangs on many factors though and the biggest ones are if I'll have enough time to do it and if it doesn't ruin this story. If I can't find enough time to do it myself, I'll pitch the idea to another writer, so let me know if you're interested! But please do tell me your thoughts on the story. I'd like to know what went through your mind and any suggestions on improvement! I'm going to be out of a computer for roughly two months, starting tomorrow. I'm going to be away from home, so if I don't reply quickly, I'm very sorry! As soon as I get internet access back, I will reply to each and every review! Again, thank you though, this has been one hell of a ride and I hope you have enjoyed this story!


	30. Story Stats Special Thanks

**Karyme: The Perfect Love**

**Chapter 30:**** Story Stats/Special Thanks**

Ah yes, hello everyone! Not to worry, I assure you the story has finally come to a close as of last chapter. This chapter I would just like to extend my gratitude to all of my readers and those few individuals that really kept me(and this story) going for well over 4 years! I also thought it would be fun to give you all some insight on the story and share my thoughts and some statistics about the story. I'll tell you all what I was happy with and what I wish I would have done different. Finally, I will answer questions so that everybody can have a bit more knowledge on things that weren't quite explained well enough.

First I would like to thank all of you readers, anonymous or not! You all have really pushed me through the final part and I did it all for you guys! However, I would like to recognize all of my readers now, as you have all done your part whether you believe it or not! Now, the readers that have been here from the beginning of the beginning should truly be commended for their commitment! **Selidor, Lix Lorn The Eeveetrainer, Fan Boy 101, Spacewolf78, WolfietheLion, kitmaro, **and **Abbodon**, you guys were here the whole time and I wanted to thank you so much. However like I said, everyone has helped me out and here they are!

**8TailFox  
ab47203  
Alex Dark-serpent  
Almaz Almadine  
Amanda  
Arcane-Boomeus  
ArchAngelGundam  
Art of Shadow  
asdfghjk123  
AvianKnight93  
BADRAYAGO MASTER OG C.o.D fAn  
Black-Star-Kid  
blastburnman  
BlazaWolf  
brickbreak22  
brodieac  
Brutalbic  
cerberus0814  
Colossal Fighter GX  
cyborg0825  
Daimao S  
Darkdragonty  
Darkwingthedeep  
Dark Tail Rabbit  
Dig Duh  
dragonchild25  
Dragonfang20  
Dragon's Savior  
Drakino Kor  
Eeveeon  
Eeveesin98  
Eon The Cat of Shadows  
ericalphonesexx  
estelin  
Fenrik Malifex  
Feral  
fireheart15  
fireknight legend  
FoxxyJosh  
g30  
Gamewizardinnc  
gardevoirlover456  
Gemralts the Writer-Wolf of FF  
Gleamshard  
Green Lucario  
Greg the Lucario  
guard of the twilight  
GYY  
Highland Storm  
HunterAzrel  
idk**

isnivy  
jacob1132  
jared2492  
jawz666  
Kagome  
knight626  
knight of Tactic aka knight of  
LavendertheUmbreon  
Li Clark  
Loco Elote  
Lone DragonWolf of the Flames  
Lucario1856  
Lucario315  
Maniac the Manetric  
Midnightsun63  
Mintobrandybuck  
Monsieur  
Moodyangel627  
MoonlightFrost  
Nezzian  
Nightcore  
nomercy745  
non-anonymous pokefan  
ObsessedwithBirds  
Pikachu344  
Pokepony  
randompersonish  
R3aper  
Readernotreallywriter  
Regar-the-Dragon  
Retsukuzza  
Rhythm of Rain  
Risingstorm083  
RoxaSorAxeLove  
Ryuubi blackheart  
ShaDarkmare  
shadowgear7  
Shadows-of-Virtue  
shadow'softime159  
Silverwind12  
Silver Scruffy  
SMA-H  
somerandomperson  
sonicealien  
StonedToast  
Stonewing  
super little kid  
Teraunce  
TheNick09912345  
The Great Valley Guardian  
The Lone Gamer151  
TJFS  
tr  
Ttothe3rd  
Uber Ghidorah  
ultam1tegamer  
Unecessary  
UnknownIdol  
Vaddic  
White Charizard51  
Wolf Lunarfang  
XLeafheartX  
Your stalker  
Yukilumi  
yurface9311  
Zombiedude1274  
and**  
Zombieva**

WOW! 120 unique reviewers! Again, I do thank you all for your reviews and of course for reading! Next I'll display the stats of the story!

**Story Stats**

**Total number of hits: **90,045

**Total number of reviews: **429

**Total number of words: **187,556

**Shortest chapter (Excluding prologues/epilogues): **Chapter 3:The Love of a Houndoom (2,785 words)

**Longest chapter: **Chapter 29: Epilogue: …Were It So Easy (12,890 words)

**Number of times favorited: **155

**Number of times added to Alert List: **102

**Chapter with most reviews: **Chapter 29: Epilogue: …Were It So Easy (24 reviews)

**Number of notebook pages(written out on paper): **630 pages... (O_O)

**Number of Microsoft Word pages: **447 pages... (O_O)

**Number of Lemons: **5

**Number of individual characters: **39

**Number of OC's added: **32

**Number of days passed: **573

**Alex – Total number of kills: **17

**Top Five**

WELL ALL RIGHTY! SO! Now it's time for the top five lists! Here, I'll tell you about all of the top five favorite of mine, and top five statistically of other things. Let's start off with the favorites!

**Personal favorite chapters:**

5. Chapter 7: I Challenge You!  
4. Chapter 26: Exordium  
3. Chapter 28: The Devil's Maw Part 2: Dust and Echoes  
2. Chapter 19: Defiance  
1. Chapter 29: Epilogue: …Were It So Easy ( I feel like this one just had so much emotion and it described exactly what I wanted this story to be about in the first place. Love and loss.)

**Least personal favorite chapters:**

5. Chapter 22: Crossroads  
4. Chapter 4: A Westfield Adventure  
3. Chapter 12: Tears of Love  
2. Chapter 13: New Friends In Old Places  
1. Chapter 16: Meeting Halfway (I can't really put my finger on it, but this chapter just seemed… dull. Not much happened whether it was exciting or important to the plot.)

**Personal favorite characters:**

5. Luna  
4. Malak  
3. Ryo  
2. Karyme  
1. Drake (Yes, I know. Karyme isn't number one. I'm going off of personalities, not favorite Pokemon.)

**Personal Favorite OC's:**

5. Blake  
4. Ichigo  
3. Diana  
2. Diablo  
1. Orin (Definitely number one. His careful, yet confident personality just fit his role perfectly and of course, he pulled through on top in the end!)

**Top five reviewers:**

5. WolfietheLion, with 15 reviews!  
4. kitmaro, with 16 reviews!  
3. Spacewolf78, with 17 reviews!  
2. Lix Lorn The Eeveetrainer, with 26 reviews!  
1. Fan Boy 101, with 27 reviews! (Definitely quite an accomplishment! Regretfully, your trophy is too big to ship via mail)

**Wishes**

Just a small list of things I wanted to have done differently.

· Karyme and Alex would've taken longer for their love to blossom.

· At the beginning of the story, Karyme seemed very bubbly and towards the end she was very calm and caring. I liked her ending personality a lot better.

· I know everyone likes lemons, but I wish I didn't have so many. It kind of makes the story seem like lust instead of love.

· I wish I could've found a better way to show Kain's juvenile side besides what he did in Chapter 24.

· Alex could've had more monologue about losing Jade.

I could have spellchecked better!

I wish my writing style wouldn't have wavered so much from the beginning to the end of the story.

· Karyme wouldn't have thought about her first lover, Kain so much.

· I wish I would've described Alex and Karyme's personalities a little more in depth. i.e. They both believe in putting the past behind them and moving on while learning from it.

**Trivia Facts**

· Luna was up on the mountain training her mind when she fell and Alex rescued her.

· Alex and Karyme were both originally supposed to die together at the ending of the story.

· Chapter 9, "Luck Runs Out' was named after a lyric taken from Metallica's song "Judas Kiss".

· The original ending of the story was supposed to be a battle with Malak at Oreburgh Mine, with the ending mentioned above. When I decided to make it a longer story, I switched Malak with Ichigo. The story was supposed to end at the end of part 2, but halfway through I decided there was even more I wanted to write about Kain. This is why a majority of part 3 is spent looking through Kain's eyes.

· I originally started this story because of Lix Lorn The Eevetrainer's story, "Reversal and Revenge." I wanted to just make my own lemon between a trainer and a Houndoom, and this story was supposed to be a collaboration of lemons. However, like I do with all of my other work, I start with a simple story and then just end up adding too much detail so that it turns into a chapter story.

· Chapter 20 was named after the Scorpion's song "Wind of Change".

· When I thought of the plot for this story, I also thought of a sequel plot at the same time and it has been sitting in the back of my mind for all of these years.

· This story was supposed to have a soundtrack via Playlist .com, but it became too complicated to integrate.

· A lot of details in the beginning had no plot importance whatsoever. A lot of the later plot called on these details to help weave the story together intricately. This comes from writing on the fly, one chapter at a time, not knowing what will happen next. i.e. The Absol Jade sees in Chapter 2 was turned into Diablo. The nightmares Alex was having were turned into visions that Silver had planted in his mind.

· Drake's personality was originally supposed to be regal, grand and very posh, or uptight, but I decided he was much more loveable the way he is now.

· I named Chapter 5 after the Xbox achievement, "Heart of Gold" from the game, "The Darkness".

· I originally designed the concept of "Kain's friends" to corrupt Kain and make him the little snot-nosed brat he was. However, when I was struggling to come up with Pokemon, I opened it up to the readers. Every single one of his friends are OC's made by readers and their personalities didn't permit them to be evil. This is partially why Alex and Mytka are wary of his friends.

· The "Dust and Echoes" part of the Chapter 28 title and the title of Chapter 29, "…Were It So Easy" are both two of my favorite quotes from the Halo series, which is something I hold very, very close to my heart.

· I wrote out ALL of the chapters in my notebook while I was at work and typed them up when I came home. I used to be a Lifeguard, and our pool hardly ever had people there, so what else to do but write?

· Kain and Mytka were supposed to become a couple at the end of the story, but what I had written out seemed too awkward for them, since they've been friends since birth.

· For every single chapter, I wrote it out on notebook paper first. This helped to build the basic structure of the chapter with minor details added in. When I transferred it to the computer and typed it out, I filled in all of the holes with more detail and double checked to make sure my grammar was correct(pet peeve of mine) even though I know some stuff slipped through my scrutinization. It bugs me a LOT when I catch it later after I upload it. This technique greatly improves a story, I promise you.

· Chapter 22 was written while I was knee deep in my World of Warcraft addiction, and it is named after the Horde outpost "Crossroads" in "The Barrens."

**Questions & Answers**

All right, here are some questions asked by readers that I thought I'd share with everyone.

· **Q:** "How exactly did Karyme survive?"

**A:** Karyme did indeed fall down into the large pit with Malak, where he met his demise. However Karyme was able to survive by falling into a pocket of the rocks that saved herself from being crushed. She eventually made her way out, after the rocks shifted and other Pokemon that survived helped her out.

· **Q:** "How did Karyme know where Alex was and how did she find him?"

**A:** Karyme returned to Hearthome after escaping and was told that Alex had gone back to Leynoh. Once she had arrived in Leynoh, she headed south towards Alex's house, cutting right through the North Forest. Only luck and fate brought them together once again in that clearing.

· **Q:** "How did Karyme make it across 'the large ocean that separated Sinnoh and Leynoh'?"

**A:** Karyme used her Faint Attack to make herself invisible and she snuck aboard a cargo ship late at night. The journey took all morning but she eventually made it to Leynoh.

· **Q:** "How does Karyme know all of these human things now, when at the beginning of the story she was oblivious to something as simple as electricity?"

**A:** This is also something I should've added to the "I wish I would've" list. I originally wanted Karyme to be oblivious to human customs and technology, since she did come from a pack and all, but found it was just too hard to keep up the act and write in Alex trying to explain every little thing to her.

**End Notes**

All right, well that just about wraps it up. I can finally put this story marked as "Completed" WOO! Something I wanted to do for a REALLY long time now. Also, I have an announcement to make. First off, As you know I have written out pages on notebook paper first and I still have every single piece, all the way back to the Prologue! Now, it's taking up space and I'm about to toss it, but I thought, why not just give it to somebody? So, I'll ship this roughly 4 inch stack of paper, consisting of 630 pages to the first person that wants it. It includes side notes in the margins, crossed out lines, doodles of when I was bored, and even splashes of water from the annoying kids from the pool I used to work at! I'll ship it anywhere around the globe and I'll pay for postage. So again, first person to ask me and you get it free! So, once again, I thank every single one of you that is reading this right now. And of course, if any of you have further questions, just drop in a review or send me a PM and I will answer them all graciously! All right, for the final time from this story, I'm heading out. See you all later. It was a wonderful ride. Catch yuh on the flip side...****


End file.
